Death's Son
by Peeta Melark
Summary: Nico is found in a pool of blood, dying. Hades is fighting with Persephone over whether he is a good son. Hades has had his eyes opened to his love for Nico di Angelo. Though in Camp Half Blood, some characters have had their eyes opened too.
1. I Start a Family Fight

When I wake up, I see my father sitting in a chair, stroking my head.

"Dad…" I whisper.

"Hush, my son. I'm so sorry." Hades says, "I love you." I don't know how to answer him. I just can't think of answering him. I can't! If I do, what will happen to this "daddy is taking care of his poor Nico" moment. Nothing. This is a moment that in my heart, I know it will last forever.

"Nico! Hades!" comes Persephone's voice.

"Coming! Give us a minute!" Hades shouts back. He scoops me up in his arms like a baby and carries me to the table. He senses my weakness, and begins to spoon-feed me oatmeal. I can't even pick up my glass of orange juice!

"I...don't want to...die." I whimper.

"Nico," He says, "I won't let you." With that, he carries me back to bed and tucks me in.

"Goodnight, Dad." I say in a hoarse whisper.

"Goodnight, Nico." He says, and leaves the room

When I finally wake again, I hear screaming voices.

"Since _when_ have you loved that child!" shouts my step-mum.

"Since he was born!" Hades screams back.

"You hated him until you found him lying in a pool of his own blood, unconscious!"

"Well, my love! In case you have not experienced this. When you find a child you acted mean to in a pool of blood, almost dead, it may open your eyes!"

"He reminds me of Maria! I don't want him to come near me!"

"Oh no?"

"He's a cockroach! I don't want him to touch me!"

"Don't you dare go turn him into a flower again!"

"I shall!" She shrieks. I lie in bed, quivering with fear and shock. My dad was fighting for me?_ Oh no, _I think,_ what have I done?  
_


	2. My Dad Gives me an Offer

"Son," Hades says, "Did we wake you?"

"Yeah," I say.

"I'm so sorry you had to hear that."

"It's alright," I lie, "I know she hates the thought of my mummy." Hades frowns at the last bit, but seems to accept the news in silence. _He knows that you know, Nico! You spoiled this moment! _I think. It turns out I only made it more loving.

"Son," he says, "What happened?"

"Well," I start, "Persephone told me to go summon the dead. I tried to use my own blood, but I screwed." Hades frowns and a tear trickles down his pale cheek. He wipes it away, but more come.

"Nico," he says, shocked, "My poor Nico." I see more tears go down his face from those cold black eyes.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yes," he says after a long pause, "I just don't believe it." We sit there, my head on his lap, for a while. I want this moment to last longer, but my step-mum walks in.

"HADES!" she shouts,"What have I told you about _him_?"

"My dear, Persephone," he says, "Go get a rabies shot or something." He gets up and leaves the room, promising to take me outside later.

"Uh-huh!" I agree, when he says he'll take me to see Bianca and mum is Elysium. Hades nods once, and disappears. On another thought he comes back.

"Soon, when you feel stronger, I'll help you with your powers." He offers.

"Sure!" I yelp excitedly. My dad has done nothing with me ever. Wait! I lied! He's grabbed my by the wrists and dragged me to my room before.

_When you get to see your mum, Nico, _I think, _say something real clever like 'hey Bianca!' and then 'Hey...mum!'. I want to hug both of them when I see them, but I can''ll pass right through my arms and disappear._ I feel dizzy and weak. Obviously it would be Dad doing the magic summoning and stuff. I don't believe I would be able to do a summons. Not in the condition I'm in now, anyway.

"Nico! Are you coming!" Demeter says, "Your warm cereal will get cold!" She's so obnoxious!

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" I call back, "Blah, blah, blah!" She humphs, and begins lecturing Hades about how I would not have become suicidal if I had taken her advice and eaten _more_ cereal. Oh yeah, she also wanted me to have six months behind a plow. She calls it character building. To me, it's suicide.

I think of my beautiful, dead mum and sister as I drift off to sleep again.


	3. Hades's Veiw

**Hades**

When I found my son lying in blood, I thought he was dead. I am lord of the dead and all, but it was scary.

_Nico was angry earlier in the night. I thought nothing of it__. He is always getting into little snits with my wife, so I was not concerned with where he may have gone off to. That was wrong. I'm his father for the gods sake! I **should** care. **Nico, Nico, Nico**_**, **_I thought._

_I made some small talk with Persephone until around one in the morning. Nico was not back. This was strange. He usually would come at around ten and say 'sorry' in a tiny little voice. He was off somewhere alone. I got up and made my way to the Fields of Asphodel. I saw someone curled on the ground in a heap. I thought it was a spirit who was blocking traffic, so I went to tell them off. _

_What I saw lying there shocked and chilled me to the bone. Nico was lying in a large pool of blood, his own blood, murmuring things like 'mum' and 'Bianca'. When I went to pick him up, he said, "I...can do this without...your...help!"_

_"No you can't, Nicky." I told him._

_"I...can!"_

_"Try it then." I snapped. He struggled to his feet and fell backwards. I grabbed his arm and then picked him up. He did not object, though I could tell he wanted to._

_Persephone smiled when she saw Nico, small and hurt, in my arms. She reached out, took a few drops of blood, and turned them into red roses._

_"Here," she said. I took them and set Nico on his bed. **What now? **I thought, **I have no clue how to heal him!**_

As those memories travel through my mind, I hear Nico sit up in bed. I can hear his feet hit the smooth obsidian floor softly. I look in. He is walking slowly and carefully across the floor. He stumbles and grips the end of his night table tightly.

"Oh Styx!" he mutters. He edges forward the slightest bit and falls.

"Need help there, Nicky?" I ask.

"I got it, Dad." He says through clenched teeth, "By the way. My name isn't, Nicky!" He stalks back to his bed, and crawls under the black covers. He picks up his water bottle and drinks most of it.

"Dad?" he asks, "Can you help me get more water?" I get it and give it to him. He thanks me and falls asleep.


	4. I Play With my Stepmum's Cat

**Nico**

My dad catches me trying to run off. I think it may have been to try and catch a glimpse camp. My second home. I have exactly two homes. Here and Half Blood Hill. As I lie here, I think of my friend Percy. He is a person who though I can't say is like a brother to me, is one of my best friends. I am a son of Hades after all. I love no one but Dad, Mum and Bianca.

"Kitty!" I call out to Persephone's cream colored Persian cat, "Come here!" She hates Persephone, but loves me. I have been told millions of times that I can have her, but I want Persephone to be driven mad.

"_Mrrrrrow?_" It's almost a question. I know she thinks I have something for her. She jumps up onto my bed and I stroke her soft thick fur.

"Aghhh! What in the world are you-? Oh." I always get startled when she purrs and bumps her little furry head into my nose. I'm also allergic to cats. Not much, but enough. _Accccccckkkkkkk! _I think, _Does she not understand that I have an allergic reaction if she does this? _I know that cats love people with cat allergies though. I call this cat a barrel on legs. She's amazingly large. I don't know what she's fed, though. Probably some fattening cat food.

Since my accident, I've been trying to act more like a thirteen-year-old than a five-year-old. I've been doing things myself rather than them being done for me. Dad walks in again as I pet the cat.

"Nico have you been holding the cat?" Hades asks.

"Why?"

"Your eyes are red."

"Oh. Yeah I have." I say a bit angrily, "My eyes hurt."

"No kidding! Want me to get you your medicine?" Hades asks. In reply, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and edge forward. I get to the medicine cabinet and get down the pills. I take one.

"I'm worried about you, Nico." Hades says.

"Me? Why?"

"Because I love you." He says. It's so unexpected, I fall onto my bed. I pull the covers over me and say goodnight.

In the morning, I wake to see a shining silver form in the corner of the room. It's Bianca. I know Hades has sent her to speak to me.

"Nicky," she starts, I groan. "What?" she asks.

"I don't like to be called 'Nicky'" I say.

"Oh." She says, "Nico, tomorrow you'll meet mum. Hades...uh, Dad wants you to be on your cutest, best behavior."

"_Cutest?_" I ask, "Okay, I can be cute! I prefer to act grown up, but whatever works best for you."

"Thank you, Nico!" She says, and begins to fade.

"Bianca! Wait!" I shout, but I'm too late. My older sister is gone.


	5. I Summon a Total AirHead

When "dad" comes in, I have begun to call him that, he looks at me for a long time. Obviously nothing's wrong, because he grins like a fool.

"Nico, would you like me to help with your powers now?" He asks.

"Uhh, sure." I say. He helps me stand. I set my feet slightly apart, and ask what I have to do.

"Let me see you summon Silena Beauregard." He says firmly. I walk to my dresser, take out a can of coke, even though wine works a lot better, and pour it into a the summoning basin in my floor.

"_Let the dead taste again. Let them rise and take this offering, Silena Beauregard, show yourself!_" I chant. In about a minute a glowing light is before me. As I watch, it becomes the glowing form of Silena. She smiles in her breathtaking way, and says:

"Hello, Nico! It's been so long since I saw you last! Have you heard what the newest fad is in Elysium?"

"Um, no, I have not. What?" I say.

"Okay," she starts, "It's wearing, like, all bright colors, and tons of makeup. Especially pink. You know how great this is, right?"

"Okaaaay? Sure! Great!" I lie. I guess she's smarter than she looks, because she picks up on my sarcasm instantly.

"Hey!" she cries, a hurt look on her pretty face, "I'm not stupid!" Obviously not. She can detect sarcasm anywhere, I bet. She fades. I collapse from the effort of the summons and okay, maybe a bit from having to listen to her. I let the world fade away slowly as I close my eyes.

When I wake, I see no one. Not even my father. _Has he started to hate me again? _I wonder. Then I see the small slip of paper on my night table.

_Nico,  
I am out with your step-mum. I will be back around one thirty. Go back to sleep.  
Dad_

Tears spring to my big black eyes, pouring down my pale face. I know how ill I look, even when I'm not sick. I have had about no sun in my whole life. At school, we were not really allowed outside. Here it's dark and cold. My eyes always look large and scared against my face. My hair is always a bit on the long side, usually almost shoulder length. I am always tired.

I cry silently for a bit before getting up to comb the tangles out of my hair. I end up falling on my bum, when i trip over a brush I threw yesterday. _Grrrr_ I think. I look at my arm. The cut is still bright red, I count exactly ten stitches, and it hurts. I am getting better. That much I know for a fact.

Looking around my room, I realize one thing. My home is literally...dead. Besides me and my parents, though I don't like to count Persephone, there is not a living person in sight. I wish I had Bianca and Mummy to help me get over my near death experience. Bianca would most likely be a hunter again, but Mum would help me. Soon I'll get to see them...or join them forever if I make a mistake.


	6. I Call My Sister Almost

I can't sleep. I can only lie in bed, shivering in anticipation of what tomorrow will bring. _Oh, Bianca! _I think, _What am I doing? Am I to join you? _I hope that it's not true. I don't want to die.

I rise from bed and look in a mirror. I am fairly tall for a twelve-year-old. I am pale and thin, with large black eyes that seem a bit too big against my face. I should get more sunshine, I know! But I really don't care. I pick up a comb, and try to wrench it through my shoulder length black hair. Most of the teeth break off. My hair is _usually_ shiny, but it's so knotted it looks like the cat clawed it.

"_Mrrrrrow!_" Right on cue, the cat walks in. I decide not to ruin another of my combs. I walk into my bathroom and wash my hair. When I go back to bed, my father is waiting for me.

"We could sacrifice the cat..." he muses, "or the hellhound."

"NO!" I scream, "Please not the cat! Please not Mrs. O'Leary!"

"Alright, son." He says. He asks me to go get him a bottle of red wine from the refrigerator, which I am not happy about. When I get back, I think, _Gods! This must be a huge summoning! _I don't want to take part all of a sudden. I want to run.

I begin to sing a bit of a song from "Little Shop of Horrors"

"_He's got your number now/ he knows just what you've done/ you've got no place to hide/ you've got no where to run/ he knows your life of crime/ I think it's supper time._" I sing absently. I notice Dad staring at me.

"You could open the Door of Orpheus if you tried, Nico." He says, " Your mother could, too." I begin to walk after him as he runs off to get a bowl. When he comes back he begins to order me around.

"Go get the wine. After you've heated it up a bit in the microwave, bring it here. I'll call your Mum. You'll call Bianca. Okay?" He says.

"Sure," I say. I know much better than to disobey him. I do as I'm told, and then beging my chanting.

"_Let the dead taste again! Let them rise and take this offering. Bianca di Angelo, show yourself!" _I chant, nothing happens, "_Bianca di Angelo! Speak to me!" _She begins to appear as a glowing form. My mother is already here.

"Oh! Look how grown up you are!" Mum cries, "You look just like your father!"

"Great! Thanks." I say sarcastically. I don't think that's a compliment. My dad's okay, I guess, but I don't want to look like him.

"Nico!" Bianca cries, "Oh. I've missed you so much! I know I'm about to ask a lot of you, but would you...forgive me?"

"Oh, Bianca! Of course I will."

"Thank you, Nico." She says. All of us air hug, dad and I included, and say goodbye.

"Farewell, my son." Maria says, "I hope you will make the right choices in life." _Right choices? What does that mean?_

"Goodbye, Nico. You must be brave for what will follow!" Bianca says. They both fade away into the darkness. I wish I could have had more time, but I know Hades would not allow it.

My head spins , and I pass out. I can feel my own life aura draining away slowly.

"NICO!" Hades shouts, "NO!" That's all I hear before the darkness envelops me.


	7. I Die Kind of

"Nico," the ghosts whisper, "Come with us!" Bianca reaches for my hand and I take it.

"NICO!" My father's voice makes me drop it. What am I to do? Go with Bianca? Stay? I want my mother and sister, but I just can't leave Hades. I have had two near death experiences, so I have excuses to be childish.

"Bianca I...want to come," I start, "But dad...what would he do?" Bianca falls down, wailing. I know we've been through so much together, but I can't leave.

"Nico, my sweet child, come with me!" My mother cries. I feel myself take her hand and begin to walk away. I see the Fields of Punishment in the distance. _Where am I going? _I think.

Finally we reach a large expanse of green grass, trees and little houses. _Come join us! _The dead whisper in my mind, _Ghost King! Come with us! _This reminds me of the song "Follow Me" in "Camelot". That thought wakes me up a bit. I am led inside a house that says **di Angelo **on the door. Just before the try to force feed me some sort of pudding, a form crashes in.

"Dad!" I cry out, never so happy to see him.

"You're not dead, Nicky." He says, "No matter _what_ happens."

"My love!" Maria cries, "What is this!" She tries to grasp my hand, but Hades jerks my arm back before she can. I want them to stop! It's beginning to hurt. I realize that I am being brought back to life.

"You're hurting me!" I scream, "STOP! PLEASE!" I begin to cry, which I usually don't do. I scream all the nasty things I can at my parents. My arms feel like lead is being stabbed into them. My head feels too hot, like I have a bad fever. I feel my heart begin to beat again. It's amazing how many good things my dad can but won't do.

"Please!" I beg, "Stop." The last word comes as a whisper, because I faint. Someone is crying in Elysium, I know that.

"Nico?" It's Persephone's voice, "We seem to think that being here is going to hurt you more. We're sending you to camp for the summer." I wake up at those magical words. I am on the floor in my room, where I fell. Nobody dared move me, I guess.

"Really?" I mumble sleepily, "Am I going to Shadow Travel?"

"No. Percy will pick you up tonight at eight." My step-mum says. She reaches down a hugs me. "Nico, I was wrong. I'll love you like you're my own son."

"Uh, duh." I say. I meant to say _Thank you! _but I don't think my brain is working too well.

"Annabeth shall be there too." Persephone says.

"Oh goody!"

"Be nice."

"Oh, yes! Nice! I am sooo nice! Right?"

"No."

"Huh?" I say, "You are right!"

I fall asleep for a few hours, so naturally, when I wake up Percy is looming over me with a silly grin on his face.

"Come on, Zombie Dude." he says, "Let's go."


	8. I Put Bunnies on a Roof

Percy shows me no pity when he yanks me by the arm, out of my bed.

"Aghhh!" I yell, "What in Hades name are you doing?"

"Driving you to camp, duh!" Percy notices that I'm in no condition for being pulled around and picks me up.

"Put me _down_!" I cry. I don't like to be picked up by my friends. Parents maybe. But not friends. Percy just laughs, and a big portion of his bangs (which he brushes to the side now) falls in front of his face. I reach up and grab it. He screams.

"OWWWWW!"

"Ha ha!" I snicker. He glares at me with those big green eyes. I really hate it when he does that.

"Now who's hurt!" He taunts, putting me down. I sigh in relief and follow him to his car. It's okay looking...for a car. In the past two years, I have sort of grown to only like the color black. Percy's car is sea green, like his eyes, and looks like a garbage truck wouldn't be able to damage it.

"Ummm, Percy? What's with the car?" I ask.

"I knew you'd like it!"

"You're wrong. It's hideous." I say. Percy bursts out laughing. He opens the door for me and I climb into the back seat. "Couldn't I just, like, Shadow Travel?"

"No, Zombie Dude! I was told you almost died." He says, "If I got you _killed_ I would have the wrath of Hades turned on me!"

"So true, so true." I say, "Have you told Annabeth about who you thought about when you were disintegrating in the river Styx?"

"Is this something important?" she asks, "Percy. Tell me."

"Uhhhh, well, I thought about my mum, Grover Tyson, but only the image of you saved me."

"Oh!" she cries, "Then you _do _love me!"

"Now, Annabeth...yes." he admits. Annabeth sits clapping her hands like a baby. I notice that her blond hair is brushed neatly, her nails are cut perfectly, painted, she is wearing a bit of make-up, and she has a necklace on. It's odd, but she's unpredictable.

I sort of doze while they laugh and talk and...hug. I don't feel left out. I feel like I'm zoning out of a boring movie. I stare out the window. _Tree, tree, tree, BUSH! Tree, tree, tree, tree, tree, POND! _I think. _Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. _I pull my knees against my chest, and put my chin on top of them. I like this position. Dad calls me the Nico Bundle, when I curl up and pull a blanket over my head.

"So, Nico," Percy says, "What's news?"

"Ohhhhh..." I say, "I dunno. I almost died. I had to be brought back from the dead. I got some new Mythomagic cards and figurines. I am sitting here in a car watching you two, and being bored." He laughs.

"We're here!" He shouts, "Come on!" I hop out and run up the hill. I go straight to the Hermes cabin and ask for Connor and Travis.

"Yeah?" They grin. I explain my new plot.

"So you see. We put a few _real _bunnies on the roof of their cabin, and see what happens!" I exclaim.

"We have rabbits in our cabin!"

"I do too."

"Let's go!" We gather the bunnies and set them on the roof. All of a sudden, I feel dizzy. Blackness closes in on me and I collapse. _So much for being better. _I think before drifting into unconsciousness.


	9. I Almost Die Again

"NICO!" someone is shouting my name and dumping ice water over me. I can't break free. I want to wake up, but I am trapped in the darkness. I can feel that I am halfway dead yet halfway alive. _Come out of it, Nico! _I think. I can't let myself be pulled away. I can feel forces playing tug of war with me. Hours pass. I can feel myself floating upward. I feel like I'm in water. I can hear voices whispering.

"Is he...dead?" Katie Gardener whimpers.

"I think so..." Will Solace trails off, checking for a pulse, "Yeah. He's gone." Katie starts to cry.

"Now, Kate! He'll pull through! You'll see." Connor soothes her. I hear someone's hand come in contact with another person's face, then I hear heels clicking across the obsidian floor. Sounds like stilettos.

"What..." I moan, "Am I dead?"

"No, Zombie Dude! You're fine." Percy laughs. I hear a couple of Apollo kids gasp.

"He was, like, dead!" Shouts an Aphrodite girl. I hate when they do that. I don't feel great. In fact, I feel like I'm going to pass out again! _Stay awake. Stay awake..._ I think. Of course I just _have _to put my head down on my stupid pillow.

I black out again. I can still hear voices talking about me or each other. I can hear Katie Gardener come back in, then a bunch of Aphrodite girls sigh.

"I'm not sorry for hitting you, Connor." Katie says.

"Oh gods..." Will Solace mutters, "Nico! Dude! Wake UP! Come on! The sun is shining! Oh no...I think he's..." He trails of.

"Oh my gods!" Shrieks Katie. I hear the sound of boots on the hard floor.

"Nico. You're dead. I'm going to bring you back again. Okay?" It's my dad's voice. I feel again, breathtaking pain, like my soul is being forced back into my body. I thrash around and whimper. Katie screams, and I hear her grab on to Connor's arm. I start to cry.

"NICO!" Connor slaps my arm playfully, then leans in, "Demeter cabin. As soon as you're well. Cool?"

"Yeah." I mumble. Annabeth squeaks and throws her arms around Percy's neck. I smile. She's such a baby sometimes. Percy blushes and asks to be excused for a second or two. He comes back in with his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asks. He pulls a little box from behind his back and opens it.

"Annabeth Chase," He says, "I've loved you since the day you said I drooled in my sleep. Do you remember that? I owe you so much, but I've repaid so little. I want to ask you...um...will you...marry...me?"

"Percy! We're only sixteen!"

"I know."

"My mother would never approve!"

"I know."

"Of course I'll marry you, Seaweed Brain!" She runs over and kisses him. He grabs her right hand and puts a ring on the ring finger. The stone is the same color green as his eyes, rimmed with diamonds.

"My plan is, we wait until we're, like, twenty-three."

"Same here." Annabeth says. They kiss and I have the courtesy to avert my eyes. I wish life could be similar for Thalia and I.


	10. We Lose to a Bunch of Girls

The day the Hunters come is a nightmare. I look out of the window of my cabin and see a band of girls lead by Thalia.

"HEY!" I shout, "Thalia! What in Hades name are you doing here?"

She grins. "Capture the flag! Duh." Oh I hate her! _She killed Bianca. Not Percy. _I think. I hate the Hunters. They always win.

"I'll tell Chiron." I grumble.

"Cool!" She says.

"Campers and Hunters" Chiron shouts, "Begin!"

I am told to sneak in with my new mini Helm of Darkness. I creep toward the flag slowly. _Three. Two. One. _I think. I run in and grab the flag. I set a replacement on the mound of dirt, and run. Thalia runs across first with our flag.

"CURSE YOU!" Clarisse screeches. An electric spear sails over my head. She calls it "Maimer" we call it "Lamer". Anyway, Lamer flies over my head and hits a tree.

"The Hunters win!" Chiron says, he sounds annoyed, " For the sixty-ninth time in a row."

"!" Shout the Hunters. Campers and nature spirits groan.

"No! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Clarisse screams. "I HATE you! CURSE you! You AIRHEADS!"

"I'm such an idiot." I mutter. Clarisse hears me, but not the words.

"You're such a worm?" She asks.

"Forget it." I grumble. I spot Thalia and my eyes can't look away. She's sort of shimmering. _Weird. _I think. Then I notice that she's done something to her legs. She got crushed by a statue a while ago, but everyone thought she'd healed.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" She yelps. Chiron is looking her over. I run over and grasp her hand. Suddenly I see Bianca.

"Bianca...?" I whisper.

"Um, Chiron?" Bianca says, "Nico thinks I'm Bianca!"

I'm shocked. _This is not Bianca. This is Thalia Grace. _I think. I lean over and whisper, "Here. Hold my hand."

She grips it tightly. My fingers turn pink. Then red. Then purple. Then blue.

"What happened?"

"I re broke something."

She realizes that she's still holding my hand. She drops it like it's made of fire.

"Ouch." I say.

I walk to my cabin and flop on my bed. I really want to go back to the woods and see if Thalia's still there, but that would be odd. _Nico! You don't give a beaver dam about Thalia! _I think. But the thing is. I'm not sure if that's true.


	11. I get dressed as Nichole

_How can that not be true? _I think to myself. Could she replace Bianca? Am I just looking for a new "sister"?

"Bianca!" I scream, "Bianca!" She doesn't come. She never will come. I have to call her. I don't want to, though. I can call out to Thalia. That would just earn me one of their dumb arrows in my behind.

"Hey, Nichole!" It's Percy.

"What?"

"We're dressing you as a girl. You'll be the welcome wagon for new campers. Clarisse is Clara. Me, Percy. Connor is Cassandra. Travis is gonna be Kiara." He says gleefully.

"Great." I reply, "How do you know that new campers are coming?"

"Grover, like, texted me a thousand times. He knows our plan."

I'm kind of upset. _I have to dress as a Nichole? _I think. A few Aphrodite girls show me what I'm going to wear. Long black dress. Black, heeled, knee high boots. dark purple lipstick. They charm my hair so it's long and straight. I have a lot of eye makeup too. Bummer.

I walk over to the boundary. A couple of new campers are coming across.

"Hi!" I say in my best girly voice, "I'm Nichole! Nice to see you. Are you okay?"

"Uh duh." One of them mutters. Poor kids.

"Let's take you to your cabins!" I chirp. I lead them to the Hermes cabin.

"Which are determined?" I ask.

"The little girl on the right is Athena. The teenage girl is Aphrodite. And the six-year-old boy is Hermes." I take the Undetermined into the Hermes cabin.

"Regular or Undetermined!" Shouts Connor/Cassandra.

"Um, regular _and_ undetermined." I say.

A huge groan comes up at the Undetermined, but the regular Hermes cabin kid is welcomed warmly.

"Cassandra. Be nice!" says Travis/Kiara.

At sing along, a camper sees through our disguises.

"Who are you really?" She asks.

"I'm Nico di Angelo." I say, "Son of Hades." I press a button on my shoe and my outfit melts into my normal one. My hair goes back to normal, and my makeup clears.

"I'm Clarisse." Clarisse says, "Daughter of Ares."

Connor stands. "I'm Connor."

"Annabeth. Daughter of Athena."

"Perseus. Call me Percy, though. Son of the sea god."

We finish our charade and go to our cabins.

I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. _Oh, Bianca! _I think, _Come back to me._


	12. I scream at the other Bianca

I kind of know that wanting Bianca doesn't mean I can have her. I really wish it meant i could ,but...

"Nico." A voice whispers at my door. It's that no good Daughter of Zeus.

"What do you want?" I growl. Wow. She really looks a bit like Bianca. I don't realize I'm glaring at her. I remember when Bianca joined the Hunters. All of a sudden I don't see my room.

_I'm in a clearing. Bianca walks over to me._

_"Nico. I can't take care of you anymore." she murmurs._

_"NO!" I shriek, "Bianca! You cant! You promised."_

_"I'm so sorry, Nico. I love you." A tear runs down her face and she turns and runs off. I'm alone._

I surface from my painful thoughts. Thalia is looking at me like I've gone nutty. Maybe I have. _Nico. This is a Hunter. She will gossip to the Aphrodite kids. You can't look like a loser._

"Go!" I scream, "Leave me!"

I can't bear to see her after all this time.

"Go, Bianca! Go! Leave! You left me before! Do it again! I needed you! And you ran!"

Bianca turns and runs. I catch the glint of her blue eyes in the dim light. Wait. Blue? Bianca had black eyes. I now know that I yelled at Thalia.

I sink to the floor. My eyes are filling with tears I have longed to spend on Bianca. I feel eyes watching me. Who could it be? I don't care to live anymore. _Let me die._ I think, _Let me die._ Nothing happens to me. I am still alive. I know I won't die. I wish I had not let father bring me back. I wish he had let me die. Let me die, like he let Bianca. Bianca. She would not want me to throw away my whole life. She would want me to live. I know she is still wary of my soul trade idea. I could give myself. Could I not? I could die so she could live.

Bianca would hate me if I did that. I know she would. She wants me to live. She wants me to be able to do things she never will, like Camp, capture the flag, sing along, get yelled at by Mr. D. That kind of stuff. Bianca would never, ever, let anyone shout profanities at me. Now they can. They can shout what they want. There's no Bianca to protect me now.

I rise to my feet and my eyes rest on the creature lying on the edge of my bed.


	13. A Goddess Gives Me a Cat

A kitten? Of all the fearsome beasts that could be that small, a kitten? _What's around it's neck?_ I think. It's a letter.

_Dear Nico,_

_I know you're allergic, so I sent you some medicine, too. My other cat had kittens (not the fuzzy one) , so I'm sending you one. I know how much you love cats._

_Persephone._

The kitten is black with large intelligent green eyes.

"Elphaba..." I murmur. She does look like the character from my favorite play (though a lot tinier). But I can't name her that! I know it's a nice name, yet can't bring myself to call her that. On the other hand, both Elphaba and I are outcasts.

"Hmmmm. Midnight. I'll call you Midnight." I decide.

_Aroww? _Midnight mews, as if to say _Why not Elphaba? I like that name._I decide to call her 'Night' for short. Night snuggles in my arms and goes to sleep. I love watching kittens sleep. Even though her fur is fluffy now, in a few months it will be sleek and shiny. I lie her down on my pillow, and creep out into the sunshine.

"NICO!" Percy shouts, I break into a run. I know he's going to ask what happened when I thought Thalia was Bianca. I don't actually know, so I have no answer. I don't want to know the answer. _Am I going crazy?_ I think. Maybe I am. Maybe everyone should stay away from me. Dad could have left me in that pool of blood. He could have let it all end. I could have seen Bianca and Mum, again. All sorts of possibilities lie in wait for me. I just have to open the doors. Doors. Like the door reading **di Angelo **in Elysium. I will never open it. Not until I die.

_THUD! _

I fall in a heap at the base of a large oak tree, trembling. I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I have not taken as much care with my activities as I should. I've been crying myself to sleep. I can't think about Bianca without collapsing and shaking. I miss her too much, I guess. I don't see why. She _left_ me. She didn't want to be a big sister anymore. How short her freedom was. She's dead. Gone. I get up slowly, my head spinning. I think the ground is about to hit me in the head. I don't even feel a small hand touch my arm.

"Are you okay?" a little girl asks me. She has green eyes and brown hair. I know she's a Demeter girl, but not her name.

"Mmmmm." I murmur. "Fine."

She lets me go and hops off, touching all the trees as she goes. It could be my imagination, but I think they become greener. _Stupid girl._ I think. She looks around five or six. I doubt she'll be going into battle anytime soon.

Then it hits me. She looked like Bianca.

I collapse again and the world goes black.


	14. The Stolls are Outsmarted

I feel myself floating in a black pool. It's so dark, like liquid obsidian. I feel pure grief wash over me. Grief for Bianca and Mum. I have nothing. I am nothing. A single spark in a glowing fire. The fire can burn on without me. The fire _wil_l burn on without me. Fire is filled with millions of sparks. They live only for a while, before dying. We humans are the sparks. The gods bind the sparks with tongues of fire.

"Nico..." a girl is leaning over me. I can hear worry in her voice. "Ohhh. This is not good. If he dies, I'll be the one standing over him. I'll be blamed."

"Uhhhhhh." I sit up. The girl is Kristin, from the Hecate cabin. Her hair glows with a bluish light, her eyes sparkle red and her skin glitters. It's a bit unsettling, the way their hair and eyes are unnaturally bright, and their skin sometimes shimmers.

She turns and runs, leaving a soft glow where she was standing. _Why would she be blamed?_ I think. _Could she have used her powers to kill me? _I doubt she'd do that. She cries when you kill a fly. She's always had a soft spot for life. She thinks mice are the most amazing thing she's ever seen.

I get up. My clothes are all dusty and my hair is full of laves. I start running at top speed. I have to get to camp before they let the cleaning harpies eat me! The harpies are really good at eating campers. They love the ones that run off. I've run off. _Oh my gods! They'll tear me to bits! _I close my eyes and shadow travel into my cabin.

"Mr di Angelo! What's that noise? Are you okay?" Screams Mr. D.

"N-nothing!" I lie, "I fell out of bed!"

He moves on to ask about the music blasting from the Apollo cabin. I get up off the floor where I landed. I can feel no injuries, but my skull ring fell off. I'll have to look for it in the morning. It's a pity that I can't turn on the light, but I bet the others would kill me. I hate being stuck here.

_Mrrrrrrow?_ Midnight mews happily.

"Sorry." I whisper, "You're not so bad."

Percy comes looking for me in the morning.

"Hey, Zombie Dude!" he says, "What was all that crashing last night? OW!"

He stepped on my ring. I scramble over and put it on my finger again.

"Nothing." I say mildly, "I fell out of bed. Nightmare."

His eyes narrow. I quickly change the subject.

"Did you hear? Annabeth found a toy spider on her bed. She was jumping around shrieking. Connor and Travis put it there." I laugh.

"Mmmm." He says, "They got what they deserved. Clarisse stole all their clothes. They had to run around in their heart patterned underwear for _ages_."

I laugh harder. It's hard to believe I ever wanted to get out of here. This moment is perfect.

Someone finally understands me.


	15. Nightmares

_I am staring at what lies before me. I know my face must reflect the horror I feel. I can see a dark tunnel in front of me, empty gray fields behind. I have no place to go. One choice. No, two. Either I walk into this crushing blackness or I waste away in indecision. I do the only thing that seems right. I walk in. I trip over something in my way. Realization strikes me. My skull ring begins to glow, and in the light I see the bodies of my loved ones around me. Bianca. Percy. Thalia. Midnight. I lift her tiny form to my face and weep, but there's more. Annabeth. Mum. Persephone's cat, her white fur stained red with blood._

"NO!" I shout. I'm in bed. _It was just a dream, Nico. _I think, _Just a dream. _But... I feel uncertain about that. Demigods can dream of things that are real. Cold hands grasp my heart and I bolt to a corner. Midnight gives a cry of indignation. I stepped on her tail! She's okay! My pale lips form a smile. It's hard. I so rarely smile anymore. How did I become this withdrawn boy from the boy who grinned at everything, and played silly games. I feel a sharp stab of remorse. _You could still be that boy, Nico._ I think dejectedly. I know I can't. There's no going back. The past is gone. Maybe the dream was there to remind me of that.

Shivers course p and down my spine, chilling my already cold heart. Nothing can be changed. _A soul for a soul._ I think mournfully. I could have taken Bianca. It would have been wrong but... Nothing has gone like I used to think it would. I've lost my family... well... most of it. I have no one for company but the dead.

_BANG! BANG! BANG! _

I groan and raise myself off the floor. In a few strides I am at the door. I open it and a little girl stares up at me with large, tearful, yellow eyes. Hecate cabin. She trips over the last step. Percy is her escort.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Cuddles... is... dead!" She chokes out. "Everyone said... t-to come to... you!"

She places a small gray hamster in my hands. I frown. What do I do? I don't know if I can do this.

"I... I'll see what I can do." I whisper.

I know the right words. They come to me naturally. But whose soul do I take?

"Percy." I say, "Go get a field mouse."

I chant over both of them now. The mouse twitches again, and goes still. Cuddles opens his little eyes. The girl grabs him from my hands.

"Thank you!" She chirps. "Thank you so much!"

I sink to my knees. _Will I die... again__?_ I think. I push the thought away and rest my head on my arms. A moment later I'm in complete blackness.

"Nico." Percy says, "Zombie Dude! Wakey, wakey!"

I get up. How did I end up on the floor? What happened? Oh. Right. I fell over. My head feels fuzzy. Percy makes me take sips of something that tastes like the hot chocolate Bianca used to make me. I feel a stab of grief. Bianca...

"YOU KILLED HER!" I shriek, "SHE'S DEAD! IT'S ALL _YOUR_ FAULT!"

I see him coming towards me. He grasps my arms behind my back, pinning my to the ground. I kick and scream, but he just puts his hand over my mouth. Annabeth stands in the doorway, looking in horror ant the scene before her. She pries Percy's hands off me. Then she strokes my hair the way Bianca used to. It soothes me. I slowly stop fighting as she starts to sing. I feel something wet on my face. She's crying. She helps Percy put me in bed and sings me to sleep.

Only, this time, I have no nightmares.


	16. I Accidentally Shoot Chiron

When I wake up, there's no Annabeth. There's no Percy. I can't remember what happened. I don't know what I'm doing sitting on a log in front of a large tree. I must have sleep walked. I sometimes have been heard screaming and wailing in the night. I have been known to weep and shout 'Bianca!' into the dark night. I have been known as 'Neeko the Freako' instead of 'Nico di Angelo'. I resent that. I don't want to be the creepy one. I should stand on a log and say so. I think I will.

I close my eyes and picture myself in my cabin. I fell the wind on my face and then i crash into my bed. Percy's in the doorway, grinning.

"You have a present!" he sings. He places something on my stomach. It's a glass bell. On the side the initials M A are engraved. It was my mother's and my sister's. I mock groan.

"What do I need a bell for? Do I ring it and all the kids come running for dinner?" I joke.

"Nope. You put it on a table so it looks nice. That's what the Aphrodite girls said." He shrugs indifferently. I frown. Why do I get it?

"I think I'll go to the wrestling area." I say. It'll be the last thing I do, but Clarisse is easy on me. She lessens her strength a small bit... not enough to make a difference anyway. I get up and get dressed in a black shirt and black pants. When I get to wrestling, Clarisse grins.

"Arm wrestling?" she asks gleefully.

"Yeah," I sigh. I go to the table and take her hand. Mine is on the table in two seconds flat. I groan and shake my arm out. _Ow, ow, ow!_ I think. Why did I have to pick this? Couldn't I do a safer sport in the morning?

"Want to try again, Nicky?" she asks.

I nod.

She grabs my hand and shoves it on the table. I get up, smile, wave goodbye. Next is archery.

"Hold it steady, Nico." Chiron says, "Okay. Now let go of the arrow and the string. Good boy!"

I missed the center of the target by a mile or two (or a million!). I shoot again and again, but I can't seem to get it to fly straight. After Chiron has to pull an arrow out of his side, I give up.

"Sorry." I mumble. I run to my next activity, sword practice.

_That's something I'm good at. _I think.


	17. All My Friends Are Eccentric

I walk to the arena feeling not in the least bit happy. Maybe just a bit thankful. Finally in my day of nightmares, I'll be able to do something I'm good at. I can fight! Yup. I can fight. I'm really good with a sword. Ha! So there, Percy! I see Annabeth at the very end of my peripheral vision. No surprise. Hugging Percy.

"Hey!" I yell, "Aren't you teaching?"

"Nah! You go ahead and take my place!" Percy shouts back. I sigh. That little bit of happiness is gone. I guess I'm just made to suffer.

The kids at sword practice aren't my age. They're all around nine or ten. Or younger, but not many are younger than eight. All of them are really loud, and twice as obnoxious. I don't like younger children much. But then again, I don't like anything much. The things I do really like are geeky. Star Wars, Shakespeare. Odd combo, I know. Bianca used to call me "Bookworm"

"Nico?" Andrew from the Apollo cabin whispers. He said it wrong. He said it Nick-oh.

"It's pronounced 'Nee-ko'," I correct. Or at least that's what I like better. That's what Bianca used to say.

Okay, maybe I dwell on the past, but it's really not my fault. So much has happened to me lately. It's all a bit disorienting. Like the Hunter's are leaving tonight. Good riddance. I hate mistaking Thalia for Bianca. She's making me angry. So angry I think I might explode... or set an evil pumpkin after her. Either sounds like a good plan.

"Okay, kids!" I hold my practice sword up, "Today, we're going to practice battling. 'Kay? Sound good?"

They all nod like the good little brats they are. I make them count in sets of two. Once they've all gotten into their groups, I give them their instructions.

"Okay! So ones, you're the Empire! Two! You're rebels!"

They stare blankly. Only some of them smile.

"Sorry! Ones, you're... erm... the bad guys, Twos... good guys. Like in the comics you like, eh?"

I'm bluffing, but they don't see it. They grin and begin whispering to each other. The ones are loud enough to kill a Kindly One.

"Ones! Do you understand the meaning of the word _quiet_?" I say.

I try to keep the sarcasm light, but enough so they listen. Sure enough, they blush and quiet their voices. The twos have already taken their positions. I clap my hands and yell "GO!" as loud as I can. They all give ferocious battle cries (or was that a dying Hellhound?) and charge into battle. Their fighting is atrocious. They seem to believe that biting is the best maneuver in the history of demigods.

"NO! Don't bite! Use your stupid swords!"

They listen, but only a little. It seems that they have no time to care about how they fight. I guess they just want to win. And they don't realize that biting won't get them anywhere. They think they're being smart? Well that won't fool any evil dudes out there.

"Hey, Nico?" It's a girl from the Hecate cabin, obviously. She's got shimmering magenta hair and lovely sparkling yellowy eyes. She's not what I'd call dazzling, but her honey toned skin really looks nice with the hair and eyes.

"Yeah?" I say.

"I need help. One of my sisters, Lianna... is trying to cast a spell of everlasting sleep."

"The ones where a prince has to kiss you?" I ask.

I'm sure I must sound like an idiot, but she nods. Grabbing my hands, she races up the hill to her cabin. On a marble bench in front, a girl my own age sits crying. I sit next to her.

"Oh!" she cries.

I get a good look at her. She's slim and graceful like a dancer, with glimmering black hair and tearful violet eyes. Her skin is half between dark and light, and she's stunning. She looks at me through a haze of tears.

"Don't do it," I say, "or my father will claim you for his kingdom."

She smiles.

"Okay, Son of Hades. You shall be my guide to his realm?"

"Wh- what?"

She smiles again.

"Kidding. I won't do it. Friends?" She holds out one delicate hand.

"Friends." I shake it.

It seems all my friends just happen to be kind of eccentric.


	18. Demigod's Parents Are Bonkers

Lianna looks at me for a moment and her face grows serious. It seems she had some reason to do the enchantment.

"Why… were you going to do it?" I ask. Her violet eyes gleam with hurt.

"My father hates me!" she chokes, "He loves his full mortal son more. He never wanted a daughter. And he never wanted m-me!"

I nod. If I've learned anything, it's that my life isn't the only one that's bad. Hers might even be worse. I can tell from her eyes that he's hurt her before. Or done something. Maybe she's got a stepmother who hurts her. Something like that. Me? Any time I get hurt, it's my own fault. I get lots of little scratches that I have no clue where they come from. I know that Percy thinks it's my fault. It's not… honestly.

"My dad… gives Orlando _everything_ he wants. He was born in 2007. He's four now. Doesn't know who he's named after." She sighs deeply.

Gods. Her life is awful. No love at home except maybe…

"Does little Orlando like you?" I ask. Her whole face lights up and she laughs. It's a beautiful sound.

"Oh, yes! He loves me! Step-mum and Dad try to keep him away from me, but that makes him love me more! At night, he comes to my bed and sleeps there. He has nightmares. He doesn't like his mother at all. She dotes on him, you see. He's a rebel. I've taken care of him mostly."

Well. One thing I know is that that little magic stunt she was going to do would have hurt her brother. Maybe he's a demigod too. Who knows? Lianna looks up from the bench as screams split the air. It's my name. And Lianna's. A small boy has been carried across the border with two people standing with him. The woman is tall and kind of looks like Barbie. That's not good. The man looks like Lianna. But his eyes are brown. Her father and stepmother, most likely. The boy must be little Orlando. He's adorable, with golden-brown hair and amber. He's got a pointy nose and slightly raised eyebrows. I think I know where he's going.

"Welcome!" I say, "Come to the campfire! It's about to start! You can stay to see where your boy is placed. It'll be tonight, I bet."

The parents follow, looking horrified. The blond woman holds her son's hand tighter. He squirms away and runs to Lianna.

"Lia! Lia!" He jumps into her arms, and she holds him. Her face is buried in his hair. She acts as if his shampoo smells comforting.

"Oh, Orli! I've missed you so much! Did you see LotR? No. Too young. Oh, my precious brother." She hugs him tightly and rocks him.

He smiles, leaning his head on her shoulder. He really is the cutest little kid I've ever seen. He's got his little arms wrapped around Lianna's neck, and he's whispering in her ear.

"Be nicer, young man!" the blond woman says.

I smirk. "I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter!"

Quick as a rattlesnake, she lashes out. Her hand hits my cheek and she digs her long, sharp nails into my cheek. I can feel the warm blood that's seeping from the cut, but I hold my ground.

"Why thank you!" I say, "That's just what I needed to make myself presentable."

I smile graciously and stalk off to join Percy at the Fire. His eyes widen at the cut on my cheek, but he has enough sense not to say anything. He knows I'll tell him once I've cooled down. Finally, I say:

"Crazy lady with long fake nails. Mother who hates demigods, but has one."

Percy nods grimly. I know how many reactions one might get from the mothers and fathers of the kids. Some are overjoyed; others are angry or disgusted. Some can't believe it's true, and just stand open-mouthed. Percy tries to smile, but it's obvious he'd love to get his hands on that lady. So would I. I'd adore that.

"So…" Percy says. "Are you gonna get revenge?"

I shake my head and he frowns. Grinning evilly, I nod in the direction of the woman and her little boy. Percy smiles upon seeing the boy, and scowls at the woman. She's got a tight grip on her son and has a look of shock on her face. Lianna hovers nearby and gives me a shaky smile when she catches me watching them. I get up.

"Hello!" I call out, "You're Orlando, right?" The boy nods. His brown eyes sparkle, but I can see the confusion and hurt lurking behind that cheery front. He lets Lianna pick him up, and carry him over to me. She drops him in my lap. I feel a tingle run through me when he touches me. I definitely know where he's going.

"Listen up, brats. We've got a new camper. Orlando. No he's not Legolas. He's only four. Be nice to him, or I'll strangle you in grape vines."

Mr. D might have passed out sweets. He's never liked a camper before. _Never_. He hates us. He loves to hate us. He adores hating us. Why is he being so nice now? Orlando hops off my lap. There's a collective gasp, and I look up to see the glowing hologram above Orlando's head and the man kneeling with his hands on the boy's shoulders.


	19. I'm Sorry! No Really, I Am

Little Orli stares up at the man with his large, amber eyes. He blinks a few times and rubbed his eyes sleepily. The god looks down at him lovingly. It's… Apollo. Oh, joy. Another person to keep everyone up at night. Yep. The Apollo kids keep me up with noise. It's kind of frustrating to be trying to fall asleep and hear drums in the middle of the night. It's really annoying if you're trying to read. But I don't think I'd be reading anytime soon, even thought I try to (I love reading).

Orli smiles and hugs Apollo. The god smiles proudly and ruffles his son's hair. Then he holds out his hand. In the palm, a golden lyre appears. He takes it, and hands it to Orlando. The child laughs and plucks the strings. They echo harmoniously around the amphitheater and the crowd sighs contentedly. It _is _beautiful, I must admit. The kid is a natural.

Orli's mother runs to the child and picks him up. She glares at us all with absolute hatred burning in her eyes. Her husband tries to stop her. In his hasty words, I catch her name. _Maria_. No! That's _my_ mother's name! How can this evil woman be named Maria?

"Which one of you greeted me today?" she screams. "You!"

She's pointing at me. I stand without hesitation. She glares at me from the short distance, her eyes smoldering with hate. I want to step back, but I know that will give her the upper hand. I don't want to do that. She'll lunge at me with those obnoxious hot pink nails, or whatever color they are. I really am not in the mood to worry about _that_.

Lianna stands up to, her face flushed with rage. Her dark hair floats around her in the breeze of her own rage. Her eyes glow like two amethysts lit from behind, and she takes a step forward. I hold out a hand to stop her, but before I can, long ribbons of ruby flame curl from her fingers. They edge closer and closer to Orlando's mother. She screams, a branch cracks above Lianna, and my friend falls to the ground.

I run to Lianna and find her unconscious, but okay. She's not glowing much anymore, and there's a huge gash on her arm pouring blood onto the floor. So she may not be _that_ okay. But she's not dead, so, hey! Let's celebrate! I must admit that fit of rage was kind of cool. I pick her up off the ground, and she smiles tiredly.

Orlando comes running over and leaps on his sister.

"You're okay! You're okay!"

She hugs him weakly, her eyes tearing slightly. He wraps his little arms around her neck and squeaks.

"Am I going to be with you, Lia?" he asks. It's an innocent question, but somehow it upsets her.

"No, Orli. You're in the Apollo cabin! I'm in the Hecate cabin. But I promise I'll sit with you when we have time. And I'll make sure you're happy, and I'll keep you safe!"

He nods. It's a lot to process. Trust me. But at least he doesn't have to process the fact that his sister is dead like I did.

I find myself staring at Lianna, imagining that she's Bianca. But she's not. She's purple eyed. Bianca was brown eyed. She's paler than Bianca was. She's taller. She's not as pretty.

"Do you love me, Nico?" Lianna asks. It's so sudden that I gasp.

"I… don't… I've never… loved… anyone," I splutter.

"Do you love _me_?" she asks again. I shake my head.

"You're my friend, that's all. I'm sorry."

"Do you love Thalia?" she asks with such bitterness, I hate myself.

"No." And that's the truth. I've never loved anyone. Call me crazy, if you must. I've only thought of Thalia as a sister. And even then, I don't love her. She's a friend like Lianna is.

"Could you love me?" Her voice is broken and desperate.

"As a sister?" I ask, sounding stupid.

"No. As, like, a girlfriend or something."

I sigh heavily, what I'm about to say weighing me down.

"No. I'm sorry." And with that, I'm gone. I'm running faster than I've ever run before. I'm running to my cabin. And before I know what's happened, I'm lying on my bed, sobbing and feeling like I've ruined someone's life.

I fall asleep thinking of Bianca. Of course I do.


	20. The Trance

I wake up to a loud pounding on my door. Percy's yelling my name and begging me to let him enter. I don't know if I should. He might ask me what happened and then I'll start crying and he'll try to hug me. That will remind me of Bianca and I'll start crying harder. Yes. I do cry.

I call for him to come in anyway. You know what? I'll cry. Sure, I'll cry. But then it'll be over. I'll have gotten through a bout of tears. I'll be done crying for the day.

Percy barges in, knocking over a table of books while he's at it. He looks at them momentarily and then continues marching towards me.

"What the hell happened, Nico?" he asks. The tone in his voice makes me feel guilty about something I didn't do.

"Is Lianna okay?" I ask.

"Is that what happened? Some girl rejected you?"

I shake my head. "No. I rejected her."

"Why'd you do that?" Percy asks, aghast.

"Because I don't like her." I realize what I've said and quickly try to cover. "I mean, she's my friend, but I don't _like _her. You know. I don't, like, _like _her in that kind of romantic way."

I can feel tears in my eyes already, and the guilt is wrapping itself around my heart. I fight the hot stinging behind my eyes and tell myself to stay in control. _What will Percy think of you if you act like a baby? You'll make a fool of yourself in front of your only best friend._

And I think that's what does it because I start crying and I can't stop. And Percy's staring at me like I've turned into a five-year-old girl. I lean on his shoulder and cry while he pats my shoulder awkwardly, trying to get me to calm down. I don't think I can. I'm starting to remember things I don't want to, like the trance.

_I'm back in Persephone's garden. She's standing right where she was the last time I had this dream, only that time it was real. Her voice is raised and she's screaming at me with all her might. I'm scared, very scared. I don't know what I've done but be alive. Yes. That's what I've done. I'm alive, and that's why she hates me. Maybe I shouldn't be alive. I'm a danger. _

_She throws me a knife and speaks a Greek command. Before I can stop myself I've run off. I don't really see where I'm going and I don't really know what I'm doing. It's like I'm in a trance. I'm under a spell that I can't break._

_I finally reach an open space in the fields of Asphodel. That's funny. It's so crowded most of the time. How could it be empty now? I raise my knife and start to chant. I want Bianca back. And I want mother back. And I don't really want to be here. I bring it down on my arm and the blood flows. The spell breaks and I realize what's happened. Persephone cast a spell on me! She wanted me to die, and now that seemed to be where I was going. The world is already blurring and spinning and my head aches. Just before the world blacks out, I see a figure in black running towards me._


	21. The Truth

"Nico," my father's voice calls. "NICO!"

I open my eyes and see that the voice is actually Percy's. Funny how the mind can play tricks on you like that, eh? I must have done something really stupid, because Percy's eyes are kind of wild and his hair is sticking up everywhere.

"What… what did I do?" I asked, my voice feeling rather strange in my throat. My arm burns and the scar looks really bad.

"You blacked out, dude!" Percy shouts. "What the hell were you thinking about?"

I shake my head, trying to clear it. And then I say something I'm not too sure of: "My curse. It's broken now."

I'm shivering, but I'm not cold. My forehead is beaded with sweat and I feel sick. Percy has an arm around my shoulders, though, and that helps. I feel safer with him here. It makes me feel like I won't fall back into another flashback. But I can see my father through blank eyes. I can see the anger on his face and I can feel his wrath.

"He's coming," I say.

"Who?" Percy's voice is a blur of confusion.

"My father. He's coming for me. I think he has some questions he needs answered."

Percy wraps the other arm around me and hugs me. I curl up against him like I'm five and try to stop shaking. I'm not scared. I've faced my dad before. And I don't think he's coming after me. He's probably going to ask about Persephone and her part in my near death. And I'll tell him the truth.

A deathly cold sweeps through my cabin and I can hear voices outside.

"My lord, you cannot enter your son's cabin. He is not fit to see you."

"Why is that?"

"We don't know. He is recovering from rejecting a girl. We have her in her room too, so she won't be able to curse him."

There are footsteps and the door is smashed in. My father is standing in the entrance, his pale face contorted with rage and… concern? I blink, thinking it's a mirage, but when I open my eyes again, he's still there. It's not a dream. _It's not a dream, Nico._ I tell myself.

"Who cursed you, son?" my father asks me. He grabs my shoulders and tears me away from Percy. "Who did this to you?"

"I…don't know!" I lie. He looks into my eyes and asks me again, this time his voice is a harsh scream.

"P-Persephone!" I cry, tears streaming down my face. And then I'm talking and I can't stop. I'm telling him everything. "I don't know what happened, but she told me to go summon… Bianca! And I said I d-d-didn't have anything to s-sacrifice! So she said 'sacrifice yourself, Nico di Angelo." And then she spoke some kind of command. I think it was _'kill'_ and before I could stop myself, I hade cut me arm and I was bleeding and I couldn't stop it and I thought I was going to die!"

Hades holds me close, rocking me like I'm his one care in the world. He doesn't seem to see Percy, who is standing with his mouth hanging open like a guppy. He just soothes me and strokes my long black hair and rubs the tears from my pale face.

"How could she do this to you?" he asks. I shake my head.

"I don't know, Dad. I don't know."

Hades stands and before I can say a proper goodbye, he's gone. And by gone, I mean gone. _Poof!_ I think, wondering if I've seen Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince one too many times.

"Wow…" Percy says. I look at him. He's gone sheet white and his eyes have turned into huge saucers in his face. His mouth is still partially open, and he's shaking like a leaf.

"I don't think he noticed you," I say. Percy ruffles my hair and we both nearly die laughing.


	22. The Sky

Lianna won't talk to me. She won't even _look _at me. She's jealous, I think. She's mad at me for letting my dad visit yesterday, and not her. And most of all, she's mad that I let Percy visit. She thinks she's something special in my life, and she kind of is. She's like the sister I lost too young. She's like Bianca. But she's also not like Bianca. Does that make any sense?

Well, Lianna won't talk to me and Thalia's been trying to kill me again. Is there something wrong with my life? I can hear the battle cry of: "Darn you, Deathboy!" From Thals and: "You can beat her, Zombie Dude!" is Percy and Annabeth. Yeah, they need to go get themselves a life. Or at least they should get something to do so they leave me alone. I don't mind Percy and Annabeth, but Thalia is just plain rude. She tried to bomb my cabin last night, and she's dyed all of my shirts hot pink. It took me _three hours_ to find a normal black shirt. Again, something is wrong with this picture.

"Hey, Nico!"

The voice belongs to a new camper. His name is Derek. That's all I've been able to find out about him. He's in the Hermes cabin. He looks just like them, too: arched eyebrows, slightly upturned nose, brown hair and eyes. Yeah. He's one of them. He and the Stolls struck off immediately. I think they loot the store every other day now.

"Hey, Derek," I say. "What's up."

He grins. "The sky."

I smile. It's hard not to. I've never had any friends besides Percy and maybe Lianna, and no one seems to want to be nice to me. This is a change from what I'm used to. I don't really know what to reply with. So I just go with the obvious:

"Nice weather, huh?"

And then Derek laughs at me. Not that I blame him, but I'm not used to that either. It kind of sets me on edge. But at the same time, I want to laugh, too. I don't really get the chance to laugh, and I'm usually not too quick to seize opportunity.

"Yes!" He tries to make me feel better. "Lots of sun. Maybe you should go back inside!"

My face burns for a moment. I don't know what made me angry. He's right. I'm pale and I haven't put on any sunscreen, but I don't need to go back inside. The ground starts to shake, making me feel incredibly stupid.

"Whoa there, Nico!" Derek's laughing, but I can see that I've caught him off guard.

"Sorry."

"He certainly is sorry!" shrieks a voice to my left. I turn around just in time to have Lianna grab my wrist and drag me off towards the woods.

"What are you doing?" I shout. "Where are you taking me?"

She quickens pace to a run and I stumble after her. She's somehow handcuffed me to her, so I don't think I have much of a choice. Lianna doesn't slow down until we reach a circle of grass, over canopied by giant trees. The cuffs disappear, but I can't move from where I'm standing. Lianna's hair has caught the wind and blows around her in silky strands. Her skin practically glows in the beams of sun coming in through the canopy of trees. Then she turns on me, her eyes glowing violet hot.

"Now, Nico di Angelo. Prepare to lose everything, including your heart, to me."


	23. The Spell

Lianna unties laces at her sides and lets her skirt drop to its full length. She looks like a witch (Yes, I spelled that right). Her hair blowing around and her Victorian gown make her look like the very image of a Salem witch. She plays the part beautifully too, if you don't mind my saying so.

She sets up a circle of blood-red candles and crouches in the middle, over to book. She doesn't chant the spell, though; she sings it. Her voice is a high and shrieking. Beautiful but haunting all at once. As I watch, she glows red and then pink and then she stops glowing altogether. But she's beautiful. So beautiful, it takes my breath away. I feel funny, though; like a hot coal is being pressed into my heart and a block of ice is being pressed to my brain. I feel numb, basically.

Lianna takes a step toward me, and then another. She keeps advancing until she's right in front of me and then she leans in and kisses me. It's my first kiss. Her lips are cold against mine, and in that instant, I know I'm bewitched. I know she's put a spell on _me_, but I don't want to undo it. I'm so enraptured by her beauty and I don't ever want to be free.

"Nico!" someone shouts. I instantly hate them for trying to take me away from Lianna.

"Nico di Angelo!"

That's Percy's voice. I turn around and see him running towards me. I look back and find that Lianna has gathered her things and run off into the woods. I try to chase after her, but Percy and Derek have me by the arms and won't let me go. On someone's nod, they knock me out.

**ooooooOOOOoooooooo**

I wake up in the infirmary (AKA the Big House), not knowing what I'm doing there. I guess it's for the aching in my head and arms. What could have happened? I try to sit up but my whole body is sore.

"Lie down, Nico," Chiron says. "You're the victim of a very powerful Love Enchantment. I'm afraid the cure won't be very pleasant. Drink this."

He hands me a thick black liquid that looks suspiciously like mashed snails. I drink it and instantly throw up. But it's not normal. I'm throwing up a pink mist that Chiron is doing his best to avoid. It's finally over, though, and I lie in bed, coughing and gasping for air.

"What did you do to me?" I ask.

"Do you still love Lianna?" is Chiron's counter argument.

"Gods no!" I say. Chiron makes an _I rest my case_ gesture.

"You have visitors."

He steps aside and lets three people enter. Percy, Annabeth and Derek run in, their faces worried. Annabeth sits near my pillow and cradles my head in her lap, stroking my hair. Percy and Derek just stand, looking like they don't know what to do.

"I brought you a present," says Derek, pulling out a rubber band ball. "It's my hobby, making these, and I thought you might want one… your hair's so long…"

I take it, nodding thanks. Percy is trying not to laugh and it's making my stomach tie in knots like it always does when I'm embarrassed. Derek's face is bright red like no one should know about his skill.

"You got any other talents?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"Just stealing, ballroom dancing… and that."

That sounds pretty impressive to me. My talents are raising the dead and singing. That's not much, if you think about it. He's got two talents that aren't related to his godly parent. My dad can sing, and apparently my mother could, so I don't think mine is anything special.

"That's it, children!" Chiron says. "Run along to your activities. Nico will be joining you tomorrow!"

_Yeah_, I think, _Tomorrow. _


	24. Five Year Olds Are Mean

I'm sitting in the grass, minding my own business when an arrow comes flying at my head. Maybe in front of the archery range isn't the best place for me to be sitting, but my mind is still kind of cloudy. And Chiron says I should stay away from that part of the woods, the one where Lianna cursed me.

I almost want to say that I wish she could be cursed too, but I can't say that. A part of me pities her. She obviously has a curse of her own that she can't deal with. But why curse me? I can still feel it working its way through my blood. Chiron says that once it's through, I'll feel weak and dizzy, but I already do. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia and Derek check in on me in my cabin every day after dinner. They tuck me into bed and watch me in shifts. I usually wake up to someone stroking my hair or brushing it from my face. I've found numerous gifts on my bed or at my door. These include rubber band balls, seashells, sketchbooks and an Ancient Greek version ofthe Harry Potter books.

I can guess as well as anyone who gave each gift. I wonder why they're doing this, Percy, Annabeth and Derek. Especially Derek. He barely knows me, and yet he acts as though something bad will happen if he doesn't leave me rubber band balls every day. I swear, he's given me a million of them. I don't have _that_ long hair. It's only a bit past my shoulders.

Another arrow flies past me. This one almost hits. I stand up, feeling like a volcano about to explode. But the offending archer is just a five-year-old girl. How am I supposed to get mad at that? The angry feelings subside, leaving me standing awkwardly with a little girl staring at me.

I move away, obviously, and head off to the swords area. Percy's there, of course, with Annabeth. The two of them are dueling and being all cutesy and… blah! I hate watching them cuddle. It's too sweet. Don't get me wrong here! I love sweets… just not that kind. I like stuff like candy and cake. I love cake. And I've learned to like cereal thanks to Demeter. But I still won't take six months behind a plow. It's not character building! Not at all!

I shout a greeting, and Percy's concentration breaks for just one second. He goes flying backward and Annabeth jumps on top of him. She closes her eyes and leans in to kiss him, slowly and dramatically. He wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her back. I try not to choke, and clear my throat instead.

"If you're not too busy, I would like a word and a duel with Percy."

Annabeth gets off Percy's lap and mopes her way over to a bench. Mrs. O'Leary runs over and she laces her fingers in the soft fur.

"So, Nicky," Percy says. "What is it you want to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted the exercise."

I'm not lying. I haven't done anything in a while, and I'm going to get really out of shape if I don't start normal days again. Lianna used to take up most of my time, but with her gone, I can focus again on activities. I can go back to normal except for the hour I spend reading to Orlando before his bedtime. We still don't know what to tell him about his sister. We're not saying that a monster took her. Little Orli would cry if we decide on that story.

Percy's sword clips my ear and it warms up. That's the problem with pain. It's warm. At least to me it is. Some people claim it's cold. I grit my teeth and lunge for him. He rolls away and leaves me stumbling. Gods, I've really let my standards drop. Percy lunges and my heart jolts. He just about hit me! I leap away and do a clumsy roll sideways. Riptide drives into the ground a foot away from my head.

"Sorry, Zombie Dude." Percy helps me to my feet. His palm is warm and sweaty, and I lose my grip and fall down again. He offers me his left, but I get up on my own. I'm not _that_ out of shape. Percy's grinning like there's no tomorrow, which is making me mad. He's laughing at me!

I throw myself at him, face burning. Forget about fair tactics. Percy goes toppling over and I land on top of him. He tries to get up but I've curled up, making it hard to move me and centering my weight on his middle. He's trapped. He's good and trapped.

"Get off, Nicky!" he says.

"So…" says Derek's disembodied voice. "They call you 'Nicky.'"

I roll off Percy and look around. He's nowhere. The branches rustle above my head and I look up. He's in a tree. Oh my gods, he's in a tree!

"Can you teach me?" I ask. He tilts his head to the side, interested.

"Teach you what?"

"How to climb trees."

He laughs, and I realize how stupid I sounded. I suppress the blush that always floods my face when I'm embarrassed. I half expect him to say no, seeing as the world doesn't like me very much anyway today. But to my surprise he says one word.

"Sure."

Is it just me or have I made a new friend?

OOOO

**I'm not sure what to do with my new OC, Derek. Friend or Foe? I'm thinking friend, but I really don't want him to turn Mary-Sue like a lot of OCs do. Suggestions? You can put those in your reviews. Speaking of which, R&R!**


	25. Mermaids Aren't Real, Percy

"Darn you, tree!" I yell. I'm still winded from my fifteenth fall from that damn tower of bark and leaves. The thing is a fortress! I can't climb it, and Derek keeps making me mad. He climbs them all effortlessly and is high up before I can even get a proper foothold. And plus, when there's a place for my hands, my feet slip! And when I have a foothold, something stabs my hands and I let go.

There's a soft _thud_ as Derek drops out of the tree and lands next to my head. He kneels down and puts his hand on my forehead.

"You okay?" he asks. "Concussion? I'll come and wake you at midnight and ask you a couple of questions."

"No problem."

I sit up and sigh. I'm winded and kind of sore from my falls, and I kind of want to take a nap.

"You staying all year?" asks Derek. I nod.

"Yeah. But I'm going to my dad's for a couple of days soon. There's some family stuff we've got to work out."

Derek nods and stands up. He offers me his hand and helps me get up. We walk down the hill toward the dock where a few rowboats are bobbing in the water. It's mid afternoon so no one's really around. I know Percy's off snogging Annabeth, and Clarisse is probably talking to Chris. The water looks so peaceful and blue. I have the sudden urge to run and jump, but I really don't want to get wet now.

"Careful, Nicky," Derek teases. "There are mermaids in there, and they'll sweep you down to the bottom and eat you!"

He pokes me in the stomach to emphasize his point.

"Shut up!"

He laughs a loud, heart-lifting laugh that bounces through the trees and into the water. I swear something in the crystalline depths stirs, but I don't say anything. Instead, I tear my eyes away from the surface.

"Are mermaids attracted to laughter?" I ask.

He shakes his head.

"You don't _really _believe in mermaids, do you?"

I shrug. "Yeah."

"Me too."

Just then, Percy comes running down the beach screaming: "MERMAID! MERMAID! EVERYBODY OFF THE BEACH! MERMAID! EARPLUGS, EVERYONE!"

I look from the water to Percy and from Percy to the water. Mermaids? If Percy believes in them, they must be real. But why is he so afraid of them. Whatever. We clear off the beach and run to the "mermaid shelter" that Percy made last week. It was a good idea of his because you can see out of it, but you can't hear, and a mermaid's most powerful weapon is her voice. They are said to be beautiful and enchanting. I dunno. I've never heard one sing, so I can't really say. But I have heard some of the Ares kids singing… It's not a pretty sound to put it politely.

"Hey, Nico!" Derek looks at me, grinning. "Lesson tomorrow?"

"Sure thing!"

And Percy is still screaming: "Mermaid!" like there's no tomorrow.


	26. Loud Music And Really Bad Ideas

Of course there was no mermaid. Percy tends to overreact about these things. It was just a…

"Dolphin," Percy says, sounding like a kid who just found out that Santa was just their dad in a fat suit.

"Yes, Percy. That's a dolphin," I say, trying to sound like a responsible adult. I don't think it works because Percy just looks at me and sticks out his tongue.

"Dude!" I say. "You are four years my senior. Grow up!"

"Never!" Percy cries. He throws himself at me and for a minute we're both little kids playing tag. We run and duck and clash swords like we've never seen a real battle at all. We're laughing and smiling and I start to think that maybe the thing with Persephone never happened. I'm starting to believe I'm ten years old and Bianca's back. I'm starting to think that…

"Hey." The voice is Thalia's. My muscles tense, ready to fight or flee.

"Hey." I turn around and face her. "What brings you to Camp Half-Blood?"

"Just wanted to see if you were okay. I heard about Lianna and all, and I was genuinely worried about you, Nico. You're like a brother to me."

I don't respond to that. Instead I say: "Well. Derek and I were about to go for a canoe ride, so I'll see you later."

I grab Derek's arm and drag him away, ignoring his protests. We head for the dock, but I make a sharp left, heading for the cabins. And more importantly, we're headed for _my _cabin. There's space to talk on the roof. Technically, he won't be going _inside_ my cabin, so it's not really breaking the rules; we're just bending them a little.

"What in Hades name was that about?" Derek asks once we're safely seated on my roof.

"I yelled at her," I admit. "I mistook her for Bianca. I don't remember… much of it. It's kind of embarrassing."

"No, no. It's okay." Derek smiles and leans forward to whisper in my ear. "To tell the truth, I let the air out of my step-dad's tires. I got caught and grounded for a month. The lock was on the outside, and my windows were barred."

He blushes and looks at his sneakers. I laugh harder than I've laughed in a long while. Derek laughs too, even though he's still blushing like mad.

"That's nothing!" I gasp between laughs. "What about…the…time…Per…sephone… turned me into…a…flower!"

Derek laughs wholeheartedly now that it's not about him. A few of the campers passing by look up and stare at us. Even Clarisse jumps a bit at our unexpected bouts of laughter.

"Hey, you two!' she hollers. "Lower your voices! I've got a headache!"

Of course, that just makes us laugh harder. Clarisse has a headache? My eyes meet Derek's and without a single word spoken, we both set off on the same task. He gets a boom box from his cabin, and I get more speakers. Then we blast the loudest music we can find. It's good, though, because now no one can hear us talking. Heck, even _we_ can't hear ourselves talking. We seat ourselves again and lean in close to whisper.

"So…" I whispered. "What do you want to do?"

"Steal from the store?"

"I'm really bad at looting stores…"

"Prank someone?"

"How about we steal all of Annabeth's clothes? She won't miss them."

"Yeah, she will!"

"Well it'd be no fun if she wouldn't, eh?"

"I suppose…" I say, still uncertain.

"You _suppose_?" Derek asks.

"Well… I don't—"

"Shh!" He puts a finger to my lips. I look into his brown eyes, wondering what he's thinking at this very moment. But I don't ask. He doesn't ask me either, though I can tell he wants to. We just sit there, watching each other, listening to the music and to our own breathing. We watch our little world below us. And we both realize that Camp really _is_ our world. It's written in Derek's eyes and across his face, probably mine too. And that's the first time in a long time; I feel a single tear drip down my face.

**Review please? I hate begging for reviews, but they do make my day brighter!**


	27. Godly Fights Are No Fun For Demigods

They're fighting again. Because of me, they're fighting. I don't get it. I just don't get it. Why does my dad suddenly care for me? Why is he yelling at his wife? _Me,_ I think. _It's because of me. _She put me in that trance and now she's paying through the nose for it. And yes, I do know where that expression comes from: the Vikings slashing people's noses if they didn't pay.

Persephone is cowering against a wall, weeping and covering her face with her hands. My dad has her trapped. If she tries to make a dash for the side, he would catch her in an instant. _Like a cat with its prey,_ I think gloomily.

But part of me is happy. She's getting no less than she deserves. I'll be scarred for life unless Apollo himself steps in, and my mind is still reeling a bit. My friends loom over me at ungodly hours to make sure I'm okay, and they're still afraid of Lianna as well.

"Dad?" I venture.

"I'm a little busy, Nico!"

"Do you remember Lianna?"

This time, Persephone answered with a little giggle:

"Oh, her? She's nothing! Just a silly little girl who would do anything I told her to do if she thought it would win over your heart!"

"The love spell!" I cry. She shakes her head, her longs hair blowing in the wind it creates.

"Oh no! That was completely her idea! I had nothing to do with that. Only… I told her _how_… But that's of little importance, isn't it dearest?"

She directs the last part at my dad, who snarls in reply. Persephone pouts and looks at him with huge eyes. Even _I_ feel kind of bad for her. She really only wanted my dad's attention. And if I were paying attention to Lianna, she could easily get rid of me, which would allow her to regain his favor and— Wait a moment… _Get rid of me_? That doesn't sound good at all.

"It is VERY important, Persephone!" my father roars, looking very much like the god of death he is. I shrink back against the wall, a long forgotten impulse moving me. It's the fear from before; the fear that I had when he hated me.

"But, darling!" Persephone starts, her eyes glowing.

"Don't 'darling' me, ungrateful—" He sees me as if for the first time today and bites back his insult.

"Dad, I'm thirteen," I say. He nods sharply.

"You ungrateful—" He stops again. "I can't say it with you listening, Nico. Thirteen is a mere infant to me!"

"Oh." I nod and leave the room. That doesn't stop me from hearing the choice swearwords my dad knows. And to tell the truth, they really do fit Persephone perfectly…

I stop in front of a large prism. It's throwing off rainbows left and right, but I can't decide which one to call with. Any of them would work well enough, but there's one with _really_ good reception, which is _really_ hard to come by in the Underworld. The one to my far left seems okay. And the one to my right seems good, but I don't think it's either of them. So I pick the one in the middle. The coin spirals up and disappears in the fractured light.

"Camp Half-Blood. I need to speak to all my friends."

The rainbow shimmers and my friends appear in the beams. They're all together somehow, in the middle of the swords area. Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover, Juniper, and Derek are all gathered there, waiting to hear what I have to say.

"Hi!" Wow. That was a colossal waste of their time, and not at all something they really need to listen to.

"Hi!" says Percy. Annabeth smirked and thumped her fist against his stomach. He bent over with a yelp of pain. Then he stands and ruffles his hair like he doesn't care how it looks, which he probably doesn't.

"Okay," I try again. "I have a problem. My dad is fighting with Persephone for cursing me… long story, and now they're probably going to battle it out."

"Meaning?" Annabeth asks.

"Meaning I probably should get back to camp. I'll leave a note for my dad. He wants me to be safe, so he won't mind. Godly fights are _not_ safe for mortals, especially Demigods. Who knows what Persephone will want to do."

The all stare at me, perplexed.

"Long story short, who's going to come get me?"

"I will!" they all say, raising their hands like students in a classroom.

"_All of you_?" I asked, my face breaking into a grin.

"I like that smile," Derek says. "It's better than the sad face."

"The sad face?"

"Yeah. It's when you're thinking about sad things…"

"Helpful, Derek," I tease. He looks like he's about to hit me, but instead just bats the air next to him. The image wavers.

"See you in a few."

The image is gone. A female voice asks me if I would like to insert another coin for five more minutes. I shake my head and wander away. I think I'm heading back to my room, but I'm not quite sure. Sometimes I take this hallway, or do I take the one through that door? I can't really remember. I don't usually use the rainbows. No… it's definitely the other hallway.

Finally I find my room. It wasn't that hallway after all! Had I kept going down the one I was in, I would have gotten here ten minutes ago. Nothing's been touched since my last visit, the bed being the only exception. The sheets and blankets have been changed. They're darker, less faded than my old ones. I sit down, listening to the crisp rustling. I grab a pen and paper from my night-side table and scribble a note.

_Dad,_

_I've gone back to Camp. I figured that's what you'd want me to do. I'll be safer there, out of her reach._

_Love,_

_Nico._

Should I say 'love?' I hesitate, pen raised, but I don't cross it out. I do love my dad now that he loves me. We've really bonded, but at what cost? I look down at the long, jagged scar on my arm, feeling sick and dizzy at the mere sight of it. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I couldn't have stopped myself if I'd tried. I did try. I did want to stop, but I couldn't. I could now. If I were to do it again, I'd stop. I have too much to live for. Even a trance wouldn't kill me now.

A car horn honks outside my room. I open the door and promptly am knocked to the floor. Derek, Percy and Annabeth have me in a tackle hug, and somehow I've ended up with everyone on top of me.

"Let's go," Derek smiles, helping me up and leading me to the car.

"Don't forget, Percy. _You_ have to pay the exit fee this time."

Percy blushes and shoots me his best evil glare.

"I'm at the wheel, Zombie Dude. You better watch what you say. To Camp!"

"To Camp!" we repeat as the car makes it's way out of the Underworld. And we're all smiling and laughing, and I almost feel like a normal thirteen year-old boy.

**Review please? I like knowing what people think of my writing! **


	28. Violet Eyes From The Depths

I try to resume a normal schedule, but it's hard. I keep wondering if Persephone's okay, even though I know she doesn't deserve my worry. I fight back the concern, but it just finds a way to get back on my mind. So what do I do to keep my mind off it? I hang out with a bunch of the Aphrodite cabin girls. A word of advice: do not so much as say 'hello' to them or you will be questioned about your relationship status and other love/beauty/make-up related stuff.

But this is short lived. When they get onto the subject of relationships, I maneuver my way _away_ from their little circle. I can hear their disappointed sighs, but I really don't want to discuss this with them right now. When they hear I'm single they'll try to send me on a blind date with their first cousin or something. Hey, I know from experience. One girl, Lacey, paired me with her cousin. The girl was a bore. So now, I leave the area when they're talking about dates. I think the other campers do too.

My next stop is Percy's cabin. I'm not supposed to be here, but I'm a boy. Chiron and Mr. D really only care if a girl from another cabin goes into the cabin of another boy, so I think I'm relatively safe from them. Besides, Percy is one of the only people I really feel comfortable talking to. He's one of the only reasons I'm still in good mental and emotional health. He, Annabeth and Derek are my reasons… and my dad, I guess.

"PERCY, YOU BIG LUG! OPEN THE DOOR!"

My screaming works almost instantly. I can hear Percy rolling out of bed and stomping over to the door. He's calling out to Annabeth, saying he's almost at the door. Ha! He thinks I'm _Annabeth_. I knock again, screaming more.

"Oh, it's you!" he says upon throwing the door open. "I thought you were—"

"Your girlfriend. I know."

"In my defense, I'm half asleep."

"In your un-defense, you shouldn't be sleeping now."

"Touché."

"Why _were _you sleeping?" I ask.

He frowns and shrugs his shoulders. I'm not really sure what to do or say. Percy's being really weird right now; he doesn't even know why he was asleep in the first place.

"Percy…"

He pauses and then says: "Ididn'twannagototrack."

"What?"

"I didn't want to go to track. I hate it."

"You like running, don't you?"

"Yeah. But not the class."

"Oh, so you like it when there's a giant pig chasing you."

His face brightens and lifts into a broad grin. "Yeah!"

"You're pathetic," I mutter. Percy nods in agreement and looks around for Annabeth, I assume.

Murmuring a weak "never mind," I walk off in the direction of the Hermes cabin. Maybe _they _can talk to me. Or more specifically, maybe _Derek_ can talk to me. He's the only one I can trust not to steal my wallet. Not that I actually _carry_ my money _with_ me. It's probably sitting in some lonely drawer in my bathroom. Don't ask. Everything I lose seems to turn up there.

I knock once, then three times. There's no answer, but I can hear something scraping on the other side. A little hole appears in the door. There's glass or something like that on the other side. Then the door swings open dramatically with the Stoll twins arguing over who gets to hold it.

"Hey!" I say. "Is Derek there?"

"Who?" Connor asks, ducking as Travis smacks him.

"Your half brother…"

"Oh, _that_ Derek! Yeah. He's asleep. Can I wake him up?"

"No, no. It's okay. Just tell him I was here… when he wakes up."

Feeling rather dejected and awfully rejected, I wander towards the lake. As soon as I see the crystal water, something feels wrong. It looks to clear, too inviting and too beautiful. I want to jump in and never resurface, which is unlike me. I'm slightly catlike, not really fancying a drowning. But this is different. I don't only want to _be_ in the water; I want to _stay_ in the water. I don't ever want to come back up. My feet are moving me forward while my mind is moving me back. In no time, I'm at the water's edge. I ready myself and jump.

There's a flash of panic as I realize how _deep _the water is. I didn't remember it being this deep. My feet can't touch the bottom, nor can they _find _it. I can barely make out the sun above as I plunge deeper into the cold blue water. When the light goes out, I start to struggle for the top, but I can't reach. No matter how hard I swim, how fast I move, the surface is always just out of reach. Something's pulling me down. It's almost in the way the rush of the water past my ears sounds like a girl chanting, and, for a moment, I think I see a pair of violet eyes watching me from the deep. They send my mind into overdrive. I'm trying to find a way to get out, but whatever's holding me won't let me go. My chest is on fire and I've only been here a minute. I need air… badly. But the harder I struggle, the more useless it is. And just when I think I've won, I take a breath of water and sink into the inky depths.


	29. Mango Lollipops Are Lifesaving

Funny… your life really_ does_ flash before your eyes. In mere moments I can see everything: the Lotus, school, meeting Grover and Percy and Annabeth, coming here to Camp, Bianca's death, knowing she was dead, the chasm in the dining pavilion floor, Minos, burning my Mythomagic cards, the Ranch, Percy, Dad, the Battle, Thalia, Bianca, Selena, Charlie, Derek… everyone and everything. I can see Persephone and Lianna… Lianna as she was whens I first met her, innocent and shy. Then I see her, as she is now, conniving and evil. I can see the blood pouring out onto the gray grass of Asphodel. I can see my friends in the rainbow, smiling and laughing. I can see the lake… I can feel the water swirling around me. I can hear it rushing past my ears. Then I can't see anything, nor can I hear or taste or feel or smell. I'm floating in nothing. And then, with a flash of blinding light, a sword is stabbed into my chest.

I start coughing up water from my lungs. It's painful; so painful that I'm seeing stars. And when the water's all gone along with anything in my stomach, I'm still choking. Then I'm gasping, trying to fill my lungs with as much air as I can. The pain is still there, maybe stronger. I look down to find that there is no sword in my chest. It's merely my lack of breath.

The sound of voices brings me slowly to the awareness that there are hands gripping my arms, stroking my hair and lingering on my chest. I guess someone must have tried CPR or something.

"Hey," says Derek, smiling. "Welcome back." And he throws himself on top of me in a crushing hug.

"You're so lucky!" cries Annabeth. "If Derek hadn't known CPR, you'd probably be dead!"

"And if Percy hadn't pulled you out of the lake; what were you _thinking_?" Thalia adds.

I shake my head dazedly. What are they—? Oh, yeah, the lake. I shrug my shoulders as well as they can. My whole body feels like it's made of lead, and I can hear Dad's echoing in my ears.

_Nico, it's not your time to go yet. When that is, only the fates and I know. Be ready, Nico._

Be ready for what? Death? Love? Life? Sorrow? Joy? Sometimes the gods can leave annoying cryptic messages that sound similar to Disney quotes. _At least he didn't say, "Be prepared,"_ I think.

"Are you okay?" Derek asks. I nod.

"You know CPR?" It's the first thing I can think of. He blushes.

"Yeah. Sorry…"

"No, it's okay! I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's all that matters. Where's Chiron?"

"Getting a room ready for you in the Big House. He wants to keep an eye on you. So we're all going to take shifts and one of us has to be with you at all times."

I nod. That's good. At least I won't be able to fall into the climbing wall. And I won't be able to fall into the lake or the ocean. And I won't be able to get hurt in training, if I'm allowed to go. I'll have someone to talk to and someone to comfort me. And most of all, I'll have someone to keep away the nightmares. Speaking of nightmares…

"When's the next camp sleepout?"

"Huh?"

"We all grab sleeping bags and sleep outside, under the stars."

"I don't know. I think tomorrow. Think you'll be up for it?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Have a lollipop," he says, handing me one. It's orange.

"Mango?" I ask. He nods.

"It's my favorite."

"Me too," I say.

"We've got a lot in common, Nico." Does he know his face is about an inch from mine? I guess not because he doesn't move away. Suddenly the clearing seems much smaller and the eyes of our friends are hot coals. I don't know why I do it but I shove the lollipop in my mouth as quickly as possible. Derek leans back with a laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You!" he says. "The moment anyone gets in your personal space, you do something to break it…" He sees my face and smiles. "It's a cute habit… especially the lollipop."

I take it out of my mouth, watching him carefully. Is he purposely saying this stuff to get on my nerves or does he just have no sense of the English language?

"Ummm…" Then again, maybe it's me who has no sense of the English language.

"Where are you gonna put your sleeping bag, Nico?"

"Dunno… next to yours."

Derek blushes and then his face breaks into the biggest evil grin I've ever seen. Suddenly I feel like this isn't the best idea I've ever had.


	30. Demigods Plus Sugar Equals Disaster

It's here. The day I've been dreading since I came to Camp: The big sleepover thing in the great outdoors. It's a time for everyone to get to know each other and let their barriers down. It's so that Ares can be nice to Hephaestus and Demeter can be nice to Hermes and… well, you get the picture. There's dancing and karaoke and eating and sleeping. Fortunately there's no drinking allowed. Only fruit juice is allowed and such likes. But believe me when I say: sugar and caffeine can make anyone drunk if they have enough of it. Kids were jumping around and screaming and some were even kissing! I guess the music is different for everyone, because some kids were even waltzing. I can see Percy and Annabeth dancing, their foreheads touching and smiles on their faces. Annabeth is wearing a long blue dress and her hair is pulled back into a bun with a few loose curls. It is a lovely sight to see them. You see… the dance is a time for PDAs. Public Displays of Affection.

Thalia and another hunter are dancing together. I don't know if they want to or if they just plain don't want to dance with boys for fear of vow breaking. You never know with Thalia. Katie and Travis are dancing, and they're looking right into each other's eyes. Cute. In olden days that would have been a no-no unless they were officially engaged. I think Percy has been planning his future proposal since he first laid eyes on Annabeth.

I'm looking around for Derek when a hand lands on my shoulder. I turn around and there he is, grinning and flushed from dancing.

"Come on, Nico! Dance with me!" he yells. "The song is 'Out Tonight!'"

I shake my head, hands on his arms. "Dude, how much fruit punch have you had?"

"A lot, why?"

"Too much sugar."

"Come _on_, Nico! Dance with me!"

"What song?"

"How about… 'Dancing Through Life?'"

"Sure," I say, 'cause it's clear I'm not going anywhere until I dance with him. Hey! That's what happens when you give demigods enough sugar and/or caffeine… even one or two sips can send our minds into overdrive. So what choice have I got but to dance with a sugar-drunk friend of mine who won't leave me alone. And for all I know it's this or loot the store! He _is_ a Hermes kid, you know.

I take his hands and he leads me onto the dance floor. I can feel eyes on us as we dance and it's kind of embarrassing. It's not dancing with _him_ that's embarrassing. It's more that he's completely insane due to excess sugar intake. I begin to wonder if you could permanently damage a demigod with the stuff. I mean, look at Percy! His mother gave him all kinds of candy when he was a kid (still gives him candy as a teen) and he grew up to be the biggest hero since Heracles. But he also now has a taste for blue food. As far as I know he's always had it. But as far as I know he's always had _sugar_ too.

"So, Nico, you like the dance?" Percy asks. I turn around and see him standing behind me, arms around Annabeth's shoulders.

"Yeah, you?"

He looks at Annabeth and nods. "Best day since last week."

They're both smiling and blushing. I must be a lovely shade of pink too. It's summer and in a crowd of dancing kids, it can get really hot and stuffy. Derek is. And he's looking rather tired.

"Sugar crash?" I ask. He nods.

"Yeah. I'm gonna go have some more fruit punch. Wanna join me?"

I shake my head. "Meet you back here in five minutes?"

"'Kay."

He walks off and I turn to Percy and Annabeth. Great… they're kissing again. Sweet… but sickening to the full extent of the words. They stop (finally) and gaze lovingly into the other's eyes. It strikes me then how happy I am for them. They've both had their share of misfortune, and now they've got each other. But who have I got? I've got Derek, yeah, but I think he's more of a friend. I don't know what _he_ thinks, but he's not really thinking at the current moment, is he? He's got all that sugar and caffeine that's gone right to his head.

"Hey, Nico!" Percy says. "Can you take a picture of us?"

I nod and stand back, holding the blue camera tightly. They kiss and hug and dance and just be themselves, making sure I get a picture of each thing. I think my favorite is the one where they're laughing at something Percy said. It's just so _them_. I think Percy whispered something about her eyes… or her figure, because she slapped him and blushed. I got that on camera too…

"NICO!" Something comes flying at me and knocks me to the ground. Derek. I should have known. He's on a new sugar high and I've begun to lose hope of a coherent conversation with him.

"What song, dude?" I ask.

"'I Should Tell You.'" The reply is instant. I nod and the song changes. I put one hand on his shoulder and he puts one on my waist. We lace our fingers together and attempt a slow dance to the music.

"You like _RENT_, huh?" I inquire.

"Hmmm." The reply is a hum I know all too well. It's the one he does when he's lost in thought or distracted.

"Who's your favorite character?" Maybe this _is_ going to be a coherent conversation.

"Angel and Roger if I _had_ to pick. You?"

"Maureen, Mimi, Mark, Angel, Roger… all of them. It's hard to choose. Benny's a jerk, but a necessary character."

"Yeah." His brown eyes are far away.

"You okay, Derek?" I ask.

"Yeah." He doesn't sound okay. He sounds like he's lost in a dream. Suddenly I feel really uncomfortable dancing with him.

"Derek? Do you mind if I go ask someone a question?"

"Go right ahed, Nicky. I'll talk to Lacey while you're gone."

Lacey? Okay… That's not _my_ first choice of conversation. I think I'll go talk to Thalia. She's where I thought she'd be: outside the Artemis cabin arguing with the girl she'd been dancing with. I guess they didn't want to dance in the first place.

"—had just told me you were going to take the lead, I wouldn't be mad!"

"ME? ME? It's MY fault now? Excuse me, miss Electricity, but _I'm _not the one who fell on their face!"

"Had _you_ not decided to switch to a waltz, I wouldn't have!"

"Ugh! That's it, Miss Daughter-of-Zeus, I can't take much more of this!"

Neither can I, I decide, so I try to find Derek again. He's with Lacey, giggling and talking. I don't know whether I should interrupt, but I don't have to. Lacey waves me over with a smile. Her eyes are sparkling and she keeps looking at me like she's got a surprise. Derek, I notice, is doing his best not to look at me. Every time I catch him, he averts his eyes. A slight feeling of unease creeps over me. Call it Underworld Instincts, but they _have _saved my life; like that one time talking to Drew…

"You okay, dude?" I ask. He nods.

"Fine. It's just…"

I can't help but notice how sad and how… resigned he looked. But why _resigned_? To what?

"Never mind." He walks away, leaving me standing _alone_ with Lacey.

"Is he okay?" I ask her_. _Hey! I'm desperate enough to talk to an Aphrodite girl! And Lacey's fine… it's Drew and her posse that you need to look out for.

"I _think_ so… but you might want to ask him tomorrow after the sugar's worn off."

I nod and head back to my cabin for my sleeping bag.


	31. Sugar is Detrimental To Moods

I wake up in the morning with Bianca holding my hand. Wait… that's not Bianca… it's Derek. I remember not being able to sleep and him comforting me. I vaguely remember his promise to hold my hand and not let go, like Bianca would.

Derek doesn't move when I poke him. My heart racing, I shake him wildly. He bolts up, dropping my hand.

"What?" he asks, seeing me for the first time.

"I thought you were dead."

"That's impossible! You would know."

"Oh, yeah…" I smile my most charming smile. "Are you okay? You acted funny yesterday at the dance."

"Sugar… does not go well with my system."

"I can see that."

He cracks a small smile and lies back down, wrapping himself tightly in his sleeping bag. He has a teddy bear! That's so cute! I don't have one anymore because Mrs. O'Leary ate it. I don't know how she got into my cabin, but she did. And the only thing she destroyed was my teddy bear. I miss my teddy bear…

"Have you ever had too much sugar?"

"Never really had the chance."

"Yesterday was your chance."

"Oh yeah…"

Derek rolls over with such momentum, a hundred-twenty pound human burrito crashes into me. Then he peeks around the corner of his sleeping bag and grins.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Hi."

And so our conversation goes for five minutes until he stops greeting me and snuggles a bit too close, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in my neck.

"Mmmm. You smell nice." He says.

"Thanks, dude," I say. "Sugar worn off yet?"

"No."

"Aha."

Derek rolls over and stares at me for what feels like forever. Then he sits up and climbs over me and about three other people… still in his sleeping bag. I'm starting to think he's gone crazy when he makes up my mind for me. He flops on top of some of his siblings and goes to sleep. I stand up and drag him off.

"Sorry. He's had a bit to much soda and stuff."

"Yoda?" one of them asks.

"Soda," I repeat. Gods, they're silly. But I can't help but smile. Guess who they remind me of? You guessed it! Derek. He'd be the first one to hear me say "Yoda." If I were to yell, "Three, two, one… GO!" he'd hear, "Three, two, one… SNOW!" Of course it doesn't snow here at Camp…

"Oh. Soda. I like soda." Clearly this guy's had too much sugar too.

Hauling Derek back to his spot is no easy task. I have to make sure he doesn't fall out of the sleeping bag, or on top of anyone else. And he's heavier than he looks. Okay… he's not _that_ heavy. I've lifted more weight. But it sure is nice to put him down on the ground.

"Mmmmmmph!" he complains upon impact. "I'm not going!"

"Going where?" I ask.

"School."

I laugh. Is this how he treats his mother? Is this all a big act so he doesn't have to go to school? Wow. Had I done this to Bianca… I'd not be here now. I'd probably have joined my dad a long time ago.

"This is Camp, Derek," I remind him. "I'm Nico di Angelo."

He rolls over.

"Don't wanna go to archery."

"You don't _have_ archery today."

"Oh." He sits up and rubs his eyes. "Sorry. I'm not a morning person."

"Especially after all that sugar you had yesterday."

He laughs. "Yeah."

"You fell asleep pretty quickly, though."

He nods. "Yeah. I suppose."

There's a long pause. I hate long pauses. There was a long pause before Percy told me Bianca was dead. I'm wary of long pauses. I'm afraid of what will happen next. In that stretch of time, I feel the lives of far away people ebb and flow. In the silence, I can hear the buzz of their death in my ears. In that pause I can feel the world shaking with life and I can hear it buzzing with death. I can feel Derek's life, so close to mine. I can feel his death, too. It's not soon. It's in the future, but not the near future. I can feel my own death. I'm living on borrowed years. I should be dead, but I'm not. I have years ahead of me if I choose to use them. I have so long, and then the afterlife. I'll make Elysium if I try. I'll be with my mother and my sister. I'll be with my dad. But what awaits my friends? Percy has his place in the Elysian Fields marked out. The dead are probably building his house now. Annabeth is a hero. She'll make it there. Thalia is a Hunter. She'll make it there, though, if she dies.

"Nico?" Derek asks.

"I'm fine," I lie.

"You can go from so happy to so sad just like that."

"It's okay. I was just thinking about…"

"Bianca. I know how you feel." He smiles weakly.

"You do?"

"My little sister's in a wheelchair. It's my fault."

"Were you born green?"

He laughs tightly. "I wish it were that simple. I was riding my bike, and she got in the way. I didn't see her until it was too late. All that's left for me is this scar." He points to a long scar on his elbow. "But my sister's spine snapped. I don't know the details."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No. It's best you did."

"Are you okay?"

He grins. "Can we go back to being happy?"

I smile a little. "Sure, Derek. Whatever makes you feel better."


	32. Cursed Blades Are No Fun

The next day drags through molasses. I don't see Derek the whole time. It's like he's been snatched from off the face of the Earth! I only hope that he's okay. Without him, I'd probably be dead already, the way my life hates me. It really does. I love my life and it hates me in return. That's true friendship, and it can only end in a painful death at the hands of a) my evil stepmother, or b) my evil ex friend and wannabe girlfriend. Gee. Do I _have_ to choose?

I spend most of my time in my cabin, either with Midnight or Percy. Being a cat, she's great company until she gets hungry. I stroke her soft fur and sing to her. Midnight purrs and bumps her head against my chin in her own, cat-like affection. My nose tingles and my eyes tear up. Great. In my haste to play with the cat, I forgot all about being allergic. I need to get my medicine, but I don't want to move her.

"Hey, Midnight?" I ask. "Would you mind getting off for a moment?"

She stands up, turns around and lies back down with her butt in my face. _Thanks a lot…_ I think. I wait for five minutes, then ten… fifteen… After twenty, I'm done. Shoving the cat onto the bed, I get up and stalk to the bathroom. My medication isn't in its usual place, as should be expected (I'm not organized), so I have to hunt for it. Finally, I find it sitting on top of the shower. Why is it _there_? Did I have Percy clean my room? I don't remember doing that! If I had, I probably would find everything under the bed or hidden in a forgotten cupboard. Yeah. I have a big cabin. Get used to it. I am the only demigod with the foresight to build a shower into my cabin. I mean, who wants to take a shower in a stall that an Ares guy might have been standing in five minutes ago? Some of them bathe regularly, but you never know which might have been in _that_ particular shower! It's disgusting! And those bathrooms really _smell_.

I take a pill and open the cabinet. There's a straight razor there, which is funny, I don't keep blades in my cabin. I pick it up, meaning to throw it out the window. Not a moment later, a jolt of electricity goes through my arm. The blade moves of it's own accord and digs into the soft flesh of my wrist. I try to drop it, but it doesn't stop until the word—no, the _name _"Lianna" is written in blocky letters. The pain is blinding. It's worse than anything I've ever felt in my life. The letters burn with an intensity that can only be brought with dark magic.

My vision blurs as I stumble out of my cabin and run toward the beach. Percy will be there. He _has_ to be there. He spends every afternoon there with Annabeth. I'm almost there; just a few more steps left to go. If I can stay awake just a moment longer… I can… I can… I can what? My ability to think is lessening by the moment. The blade must've been poisoned. It wouldn't be working so fast, even with the amount of blood loss I'm suffering. _Just one more step_, I think.

Percy isn't there. That's the first thing and the last thing I notice. He's not anywhere! Serves me right, I guess. I should have known he wouldn't be here. No one's ever there when I need them. I close my eyes and collapse on the sand, allowing myself to fall into a fitful array of nightmares that I can only hope will end with death.


	33. A Sacrifice

_The tides of visions take me to my dad's palace. It's dark and gloomy, but somehow it feels warmer. Am I dead? Maybe I am. Maybe the dead can't feel the everlasting chill in the air. The thought sends a shiver through my body. I've spent all this time thinking about death and now that I'm here, I just want to go home. This isn't my home, this dark, cavernous realm with its rocky ceiling of a sky. For the first time, I feel trapped here, trapped in what you might call my family crypt. I try to sit up, and find that I can't feel my body at all! I can't feel the floor beneath me, nor can I feel the air around me! I reach out to touch the stone walls. Though I can touch them, it's not right. My hand is transparent. I can't feel the sharpness of the rocks. _

"_Dad?" I call out. He steps into the light. "What's happened to me?"_

"_I'm sorry," he says. "Nico, if I could change this, I would, but I can't send you back a third time."_

"_But I'll never see my friends!"_

"_Not without," he pauses. "a sacrifice."_

"_What?"_

"_Someone will have to come in your place."_

_I slump against an obsidian tree. "No one would do that for me."_

"_They already have."_

And with that the throne room's gone. I'm rocketing through space back to the beach. With trembling hands, I reach out to touch the crimson sand. I can feel it, wet with my own blood. Huh. I could probably build a blood-and-sand castle if I wanted to. And I can feel the stare of multiple eyes.

"Percy?" I ask. He turns my head to face him.

"Hey, Zombie Dude," he says. "Welcome back."

"Who else—?" I look around. Annabeth, blonde curls pulled back in a messy ponytail; Will Solace, his hands covered in what I deduce is my blood; Thalia, her eyes crackling with worry; and—

"Where's Derek?"

Percy frowns. He and Annabeth exchange a knowing glance.

"He, umm…" Percy points behind him and understanding crashes down like an avalanche. Derek is lying not ten feet away from us, pale and still, eyes closed as if he's sound asleep.

"You _let_ him die for me?" I whisper.

"N-no!" Percy says hastily. "We tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. I offered to go inst—"

"YOU LET HIM DIE!" I scream. "YOU LET HIM DIE LIKE YOU LET BIANCA DIE! YOU LET HIM GIVE HIMSELF UP FOR ME!"

"No, Nico!" Annabeth cries. "That's not—"

"AND LET ME GUESS; HE LEFT ME AN ACTION FIGURE TOO?" I break down and cry. He was all the family I had left. He was my age, and he was kind and funny and he was so full of life I could never have. He didn't know the cold of my father's realm like I did. The little time he had already spent there would crush him! I can't let him go. And had Percy gone, I would never have forgiven myself. But I'm a son of Hades. I have to abide by the rules.

"Get me Lianna," I command. "Bring her to me in half an hour, do you hear me? And I want you to build me a little altar with her cursed blade on it. She's going to pay for what she did."

Thalia puts a hand on my shoulder. "We know he was your best friend, but you can't just kill someone else. It's not right."

"He was like a brother to me! What would you do if your brother died?"

"My brother already is dead," Her voice broke.

"Well, you barely knew him!"

"I was SEVEN!" She hurls a bolt of lightning at me. Annabeth throws herself in the way, screaming as the electricity dances across her skin.

"STOP FIGHTING!" she screeches. We look at her, eyes wide, mouths hanging open. "You're getting on my nerves."

"He/She started it!" we cry in unison. Thalia and I looked at each other indignantly. Annabeth folds her arms across her chest.

"You both did, but, Nico, I think it was you."

"Good," Thalia sticks her nose in the air.

"But!" Annabeth says. "I do think it's Thalia's fault for yelling back. Nico can have the excuse of near death."

"But—"

"No! Don't want to hear it!" She claps her hands over her ears. "And, Nico… _No_ killing Lianna. She may be a b—I mean: a terrible person, but I won't have killing on _my_ watch!"

We groan, or at least I do. "Fine."

"Now shake hands."

Thalia and I oblige, if only to stop her Rapunzel act for a while.

"Good job, you two!" She claps. "Now we have to find a way to bring back Derek!"

"Before his body rots," Percy interjects. Annabeth elbows him in the ribs.

"Not helping, Seaweed Brain. From what I've heard, we have two hours," She checks her watch. "…An hour and a half before he's beyond our aid."

"Thanks, Gandalf," says Percy. "But we don't know _how_. Who would give themselves up for _Derek_?"

I give him my world famous 'Son of Hades' deluxe glare.

"I would."

"Yeah, but he's _one_ camper. A son of Hermes, at that! We've got loads of those! Now if he were, say, a son of Poseidon—"

"Percy," Annabeth snaps. "That's enough."

His face falls. "Fine, but I'm just saying…"

"Wait!" Thalia interrupts. "I've got a plan."

**A/N: Reviews, please! What do you think? Kill Lianna or no? I'm trying to reach a goal of 100 reviews on this story… though I don't quite know **_**why**_**.**


	34. Revenge is Sweet

"So…" I say. "What's your plan?"

She pauses for what I assume must be dramatic effect and lets her eyelids flutter shut. "We have to kill Lianna."

"What?" Annabeth's face flushes a livid red.

"It's the only way. If we let her live, she'll only hurt him more. He's already got her name carved into his arm for eternity, and it's not like it's a big loss for any of us. She's a little b—brat!" Thalia finishes; too proud to let us know she was going to choose a _stronger_ word.

I nod despite myself. Thalia has a point. None of us really like her anymore, and it's not like she doesn't deserve it. She put a curse on me when I said I didn't love her! Even _Drew_ wouldn't do that! She's been making my life a living hell, and it's taking its toll. I haven't slept well in days (though I'm far too proud to say so), and I can practically _see_ my ribs _through_ my skin. I haven't been able to go into the forest without glancing over my shoulder to see who might be following me, and I haven't been able to be alone for more than a few minutes. She deserves to go, not Derek. I love Derek more than I ever loved her, and I won't let him go. But sitting around and _talking _about it won't bring him back.

"We need to find her;" Annabeth muses," but there's not enough time. Even if we _did_ find her before the hour's up, we'd have to get her to cooperate. That's not going to be easy."

"So what _are_ we going to do, Wise Girl?" Percy asks. She frowns, furrowing her brow.

"We're going to…" She gasps. "The scar! The poison in it! We can summon her with the markings. She's a daughter of Hecate!"

"Uhhhhh," Percy said.

"Precisely. Now here's what we do." She takes out her Daedalus laptop and punches in a few letters. "Nico, your arm."

I hand it over—not literally—to Annabeth. She runs her fingers over the fresh cuts. "It would help if we had one of her siblings here, but this will do."

Closing her eyes, she chants: "Hecate, mother of magic, send us your daughter; the one who made these scars!"

There's a _poof_ and Lianna is standing in front of us. Her long hair is tangled and her clothes are in tatters, but it's the hunger in her violet eyes that scares me. I know she'll stop at nothing to ruin my life. On trembling legs, she steps forward. I brace myself for the blow, but she doesn't strike me. Instead, she throws herself at my feet.

"I only wanted you to love me, Nico! Don't you understand?"

"Yes. I understand," I say. "And that's why we need you to set things right. You have to die."

She nods. "Fine."

My eyes narrow to black slits. This is too easy; but what choice do I have? I have to trust her if I'm ever going to see Derek again. I smile. I'm so close to seeing him again! All I have to do is— I reach out and touch her forehead, willing her soul to swap with Derek's. There's another _poof_ and Thalia screams. I shut my eyes, thinking I've killed my friend, but when I open them, I find I've done much worse. On the ground, in Lianna's place, is a little girl. She opens her eyes and I give a sigh of relief. That relief vanishes when she opens her eyes and they glow a fiery red.


	35. Achilles Heel of Strife

"Hello, Nico di Angelo," says the little girl. "I am Eris."

I'm shocked; too shocked to move. Finally, I get my tongue to form the words. "What do you want?"

She giggles. "To help you, of course! You want your _friend_ back, don't you? Well, here's the deal: You have to share a life with him. That's the Lianna girl's curse." She giggles again, her high, cold little laugh. "You can only live if he does, and he can only live if you do. You are the other's _Achilles Heel_."

The words send and icy chill down my spine and I see Annabeth run her hand across the small of Percy's back. He knows all too well the feeling of having that particular curse. I don't want it, but I need Derek. Need is stronger than want in the rock, paper, scissors of life.

"Deal." I hear myself say it, but I can't really believe it.

"Good." She touches my forehead and places her other hand on Derek's. I feel a jolt and see a circle of red glowing under his skin. Then there's a flood of warmth as the color rushes back into his face. He's alive! I crawl over to him and lay my hand on his chest, right over his beating heart. He's _alive_! Before I can stop myself, I throw my arms around him and squeeze with all my strength. The cuts on my arm rip open and I can feel the blood soaking his shirt.

He coughs. "Hey."

"Hey," I whisper, my voice thick with tears. It's not much of a welcome back, but it's really all I can manage. This is the first time I've lost someone and gotten them back. I'd never felt right using the soul for soul tactic. Bianca wouldn't let me, and I'd realized it was wrong. But I knew Derek wouldn't be happy remembering the feeling of _real_ sunlight. I'm glad he's back.

"I missed you," he murmurs, his brown eyes sparkling.

"I missed you too." I sit up and cradle his head on my lap. A tear rolls from my eye and splashes into his. He blinks and I laugh. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." He reaches up and wipes away another tear. "It's my fault."

I reel back. How can he say it's his fault? I'm the one who got us into this mess in the first place! If I hadn't picked up the blade, we wouldn't be sitting here now; and we _certainly_ wouldn't be surrounded by blood!

"Thank you." I turn to the little girl. She smiles coldly.

"Don't thank me," she says. "You won't thank me for long."

"Is Lianna…?"

"Dead," she confirms. "You traded her for the first part of Derek's soul. But her soul was only half complete. She sold the other half to her dark magic."

"Where is she now?" I try to stop the guilt from creeping into my voice.

"Fields of Punishment!" she giggles. "And you'll never guess her punishment!"

I open my mouth and she shushes me.

"She has to watch you and Derek be happy! I had a special say in this; goddess of strife after all."

"Okay." I frown. "But I don't see why watching us will be particularly painful."

"Of course it is!" she says, sounding a lot like Aphrodite (don't ask). "She's _in love_ with you!"

I hum. "_Daniel if you care, if you care at all_."

"_You must tell her!_" finishes Eris. "Exactly. So…"

Derek sits up. I can see his body shaking with effort, but the look in his eyes keeps me from helping him. He doesn't want to look weak in front of me. I bet it's because I can sit up on my own after almost bleeding to death.

"So, she's going to try to kill us even in death?"

Eris shrugs, her black curls bouncing. "I guess so," she says, her voice taking on the tone of a five-year-old girl's. The goddess's lips twitched up at the corners. "And Derek too."

I find myself instinctively reaching out to wrap my arms around his waist like I used to do to Bianca. Blushing, I stop and cross them awkwardly in front of my chest. He's not Bianca; I don't know how he'll take to being hugged by me. From the blush on his cheeks, I can tell he saw my initial move.

"You can hug him," says Eris. "It's the only way to keep each other alive."

And with that she's gone, leaving me feeling lost and confused.

**What do you think! Review, please! **


	36. Derek is Oficially a Worrier

Derek sits up as soon as she's gone and looks at my arm. He picks it up and holds it gingerly in both of his hands. He's worried. I can see it in the way his eyes narrow and his eyebrows furrow and point downwards. His eyebrows are usually angled upward, as if he's always laughing. I like that about him. I'm so gloomy all the time, and it's nice to have someone who can smile in the face of disaster. But Derek isn't smiling now. He's frowning, tears fighting to pour from his eyes.

"You're bleeding," he whispers. "If you lose too much blood… I haven't got a soul to spare… I can't…" He breaks down and sobs. I pat his shoulder awkwardly. How do you deal with your best friend crying in front of you?

"It's okay," I say. "We can get Chiron, and I'll be fine."

"You can't walk," Derek points out miserably. "You'll only lose blood faster. I'll—I'll carry you… I'm strong enough, I think."

He's lying. Derek isn't very strong at all. His main battle method is his cunning and quickness of body and mind. I've never seen him lift anything over sixty pounds. He can't even fend off Mrs. O'Leary! The thought of the big Hellhound pouncing on Derek makes me smile. I laugh. Derek looks at me.

"What?" he asks. "You're dying, and you're laughing?"

"I'm not dying!" I protest. "I'll be fine. Percy can carry me."

Derek looks like he wants to hug me, punch me, or both. Instead, he reaches in his shirt pocket and pulls out a mango lollipop. He hands it to me without a word. What can I do but take it? But I'm having a hard time opening it, and he looks kind of sad that I'm not eating it. I hand it to him and ask him to open it for me. He does, and shoves it gracelessly into my mouth. I cough, trying not to look like I'm choking. He's upset enough as is.

Percy picks me up, and I leave one hand down for Derek to hold. He grabs it and clings to it like a lifeline. His pose and facial expression is oddly reminiscent of that of a five year-old. It's actually… kind of creepy.

"Dude," I say. "Calm down. It's just a couple of scratches."

He loses it. "CALM DOWN?" he shrieks. "IT'S JUST A COUPLE OF _SCRATCHES_? YOUR WHOLE _ARM_ IS CARVED WITH LIANNA'S NAME! IT'S NOT A COUPLE OF SCRATCHES! IT'S THE WORST INJURY I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!"

Percy's arms tighten protectively, and he turns his body to shield me from the possibility of a flying Hermes cabin kid. The attack doesn't come. I know Derek wouldn't attack me. We share a soul, after all, and it wouldn't be the best idea for him to attack me. What hurts me will have some little impact on him (and vice versa).

"Nico…" Derek stops, holding a hand to his head. "Nico, I…"

I feel it too. It's from the blood loss. The injury to me is making Derek dizzy too!

"It's all right," I lie. "You've just had a long day, and I've lost too much blood."

His eyes widen. _Wrong move,_ I think. Derek bites his lip and shakes his head. His hair flops around his face.

We trudge on for a bit before Percy puts me down on the grass and runs off in search of Chiron. There are some screams as people wonder where the heck he got all that blood on his shirt. He lies and says he was making pizza with Annabeth and spilled tomato sauce on his shirt. No one believes him. I don't think anyone was _supposed _to believe him, but Percy isn't the best at sarcasm. Finally, Percy is back, bringing Chiron with him.

"My, my, my," Chiron says, examining my arm. "What in Zeus's name did you do?"

I shrug. "Lianna did it. She's dead now."

"And Derek and Nico share a soul now," Percy throws in, earning an _'I'm watching you'_ gesture from Annabeth. Chiron's expression darkens.

"Share a soul?" he muses. "This hasn't happened in nearly a hundred years. You'd better come talk to Mr. D… and Rachel Elizabeth, too."

I nod, wondering what everything means. A hundred years? What does he mean by that? It's happened before?

"TELL ME!" I cry, but he's already walking away. I have no choice but to stand up and follow him to the Big House.

**Review, please! It's my goal to get a hundred for this story ASAP! Also, could anyone with a DeviantArt draw a cover for this story? If you do, paste the DA link into a review! **

**Thanks!**

**Peeta Melark **


	37. The Meeting is Postponed

Rachel throws her arms around me the moment I step through the Big House door. She's got tears in her eyes, a runny nose, and the worst case of frizzy hair I've seen in my entire life. It's worse than Annabeth's when Percy's getting on her nerves! She's obviously been crying.

"I'm so sorry for your loss!" she cries. "Derek and you were so close… I'm so sorry!"

I pat her back awkwardly; trying to think of a nice way to tell her that Derek isn't dead. I decide on a nice, normal:

"What's the matter with you, Rachel? He's fine!"

She looks at me quizzically, and then she nods her head. "Oh yeah," she says, sounding a hell of a lot like Mark Cohen (_RENT_). She looks me in the eyes with her big green ones, trying to stare into my soul. I take a step back. I _really_ don't want her to do her palm reading stuff right now. I've had a tough enough day already. Still, she keeps it up. The girl is relentless! Finally, Rachel takes a step back with a sharp nod of her head.

"He is. Thank you for your cooperation." She gives me a clap on the back and takes a seat on the soft, fading couch. I sit next to her, ignoring her squeal when I practically sit on her lap. It's a running joke of ours ever since she sat on _my_ lap during our Camp screening of _the Shining_. For all her bravery in the war, she sure is a scaredy-cat when it comes to movies. I couldn't even get her to watch some good, old-fashioned _Frankenstein_.

Chiron clops in, his face grave, with Mr. D trailing behind him, sipping lazily at a diet coke. I want to get up and strangle him. My arm is throbbing like mad, and he's drinking a _diet coke_? You have _got_ to be kidding me!

"Nico," Chiron says. It sounds like he's about to start on some old Greek chant or something. "We need to talk to you about this."

I roll my eyes. "Well, why else would I be here?"

"Well…" Chiron lowers his eyes. "The last incident of soul-sharing was quite similar to this, and it ended, well, in tragedy."

I blink. What, no flowery language? I thought Chiron was good at that stuff! I thought he was going to drag me in here and recite a monologue from _Hamlet_ or something. I thought there would be a whole speech about how I was going to live on in pain and suffering. Instead, I get a simple (if somewhat cryptic) "You're going to die." A sigh leaves my lips before I could stop it.

"You're not serious, are you?" I ask. "What happened to your usual soliloquies?"

There is an awkward silence. Mr. D laughs. I hate his laugh. It's enough to drive a demigod crazy.

"Kid, there's nothing else to say!" he chuckles. "You're going to die slowly and painfully."

"What happened to the other campers?" I ask, hoping for the best.

"The girl died in battle," Chiron sighs. "The boy, incomplete without her half of his soul, died of the sorrow less than a week later. If one of you is killed…"

"We won't be." The door opens and Derek is standing in front of me. His face is grim for about the fiftieth time today. Just when I think he'll never smile again, he flashes a cheery grin in my direction. "We can probably fight better than those last kids."

"Well… yes," Chiron splutters. "They were Romans."

"Romans?" Derek asks. "Like from Camp Jupiter?"

"Yes."

"Dude." He turns to face me, grabbing my hands. "That's kind of cool."

I force a smile. I'm just very glad to have him back to normal. He's smiling and happy again, and that makes me feel a tad bit better about all this. If Derek can stay cheery, I think it'll be enough to keep me going. Our eyes meet and my heart kind of skips a beat. Funny. It's never happened before. Derek blushes and looks away, holding a hand to his heart.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammers. "My heart-rate is kind of irregular. It's the summer heat that does it… Will said so."

I nod. "Uh-huh. So it's affecting me now? Thanks, buddy."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Whatever." Then he turns his attention back to Chiron. "Are we really going to die?"

Chiron shakes his head, smiling like he's just witnessed his sister's wedding (if he even _has_ a sister). "No, no… I don't think you will. The others also hated each other with a passion. I hope you two don't hate each other."

The last part is a joke, which Derek doesn't pick up on. "Nope!" he grins. "We don't hate each other at all! Not one bit!"

I grab his arm. "Let's go before you make a fool of yourself any more with your naïveté."

Chiron smiles. "I'll talk to you later, Nico," he says. "When Derek isn't around to interrupt the serious atmosphere I'll have so carefully set up."

"Yes, sir!" I agree, dragging Derek outside and down to the canoe lake. I've got to talk to Percy, and hey—maybe Derek knows how to canoe!

**A/N. Sorry it's kind of rushed. I'm just incredible tired, but desperately wanted to write. The serious meeting will be soon (maybe in the chapter after next?) I'm proposing a vote right now. Any 'ships you'd love to see? (e.g. Percabeth or **_**Derek and Nico**_**,)**


	38. Karma Hits Derek in the Face

Derek and I walk down to the lake and sit on the dock. Percy's nowhere to be found, so I decide to take a nap. I lean over and rest my head on Derek's shoulder, closing my eyes. He strokes my hair, twirling the ends on his fingers. It's gotten pretty long, about shoulder length now. It falls around my face, often hiding me from view. Derek's is neatly cut, stopping about halfway down his neck. It's very thick and very soft. I sigh contentedly. Derek chuckles. I like his laugh. It's very pure, if you know what I mean, but it's got a touch of mischief to it.

"Penny for your thoughts," he says. I nod, shifting my body a little bit so I'm curled up next to him with my head resting on his knee.

"Is fourteen too young to be in love?" I ask.

"No," he says. "Are you fourteen?"

"Tomorrow's my birthday."

"No kidding! Mine too!" he exclaims. I look at him, blinking at the bright sunlight behind him.

"You're joking."

"Nah. Tomorrow, I turn fourteen." He grins. "You can't be comfortable, Nico. Do you want to head back to the grass?"

"It's covered in blood," I point out. "But, why not?"

We get up, me with some complaining, and start the long hike back to the grass near he cabins. Well, it's not _really_ a long hike, but I can't pass up the opportunity to whine about something. I just feel like, with all the sadness and hardships I've been through, I deserve to complain. Derek knows it's not real, anyways. I never complain for real unless it's really important (like watching Disney movies with Percy and Annabeth).

"Nico?" Derek asks. "Do you love me?"

"Well, of course I do!" I say. "You're my best friend."

"Oh." Derek sounds disappointed. I suddenly get what he's asking.

"Oh," I say. I think about it. Do I love Derek? "Yeah. I do."

He beams at me, taking my hand in both of his. "Thank you."

"No problem." I give him a hug. He thanks me with a bear hug, crushing the life out of my ribs. "Dude! Let go!" I choke out. He does, but he's laughing. I want to say that it's really not funny, but that's the problem. It's _hilarious_. I've just gotten a love confession and answered it with 'stop hugging me, dude. You're blocking my breathing.'

Derek drags me up the hill, stops me in front of his cabin, runs inside and comes back out holding a guitar. Derek plays the guitar? He sits me down and then takes a seat next to me. I watch in awe as he starts playing. He's not very good, but he's better than I am. I only listen; I don't play any instruments very well. I can sing, if that counts for anything. Derek looks at me and starts singing.

_Your eyes _

_As we said our goodbyes_

_Can't get them out of my mind_

_And I find_

_I can't hide_

_From your eyes_

_The ones that took me by surprise_

_The night you came into my life_

_Where there's moonlight _

_I see your eyes_

A crowd has begun to gather around us. I can hear them murmuring things like 'awww!' and 'cute!' Derek doesn't notice them, he's too busy singing, but my face is burning. Percy and Annabeth have their arms around each other, and Thalia's are crossed over her chest. She hate's PDAs. She's always preaching against them. That's the Hunters of Artemis for you, though. They're all like that for the most part.

_I should tell you, I should tell you_

_I have always loved you_

_You can see it in my eyes_

Derek finishes playing and looks at me expectantly. I open and close my mouth, speechless. What am I supposed to say?

"You've got a great voice," I choke out. He laughs, getting that I'm too nervous to say anything more than that. Clarisse claps her hands. A group of Ares and Hermes cabiners line up behind her.

"All right, lovelies!" she booms. "You've got three seconds to run before we throw you in the lake. Your three seconds began three seconds ago, so you're going in the lake anyway. Get 'em, pals."

She and her buddies pick us up and carry us back down to the canoe lake. If I'd known this would happen, I would have just stayed there and saved Clarisse the trip. She doesn't seem to mind, though, so I won't bother mentioning it.

It seems like an eternity before she throws us in. Then I'm flying through space, hurled by the force of about thirty people. It's not a good feeling. I'm kind of scared of falling. I've done it so many times, though, that I really shouldn't have a problem. But falling into lakes is really hard for me. If you recall, I almost drowned a while back. But Derek and I land not too far from each other, so we manage to drag ourselves out of the frigid water. I smile. Karma's finally gotten Derek back for helping Clarisse toss Percy and Annabeth into the lake. When we get back onto the dock, we're both laughing and hoping that we won't be too cold to go to the meeting tomorrow.

**A/N. Well, I gave Derek/Nico a shot. What do you think? Yes? No? Suggestions are welcome, as I have nearly 40 chapters, and am in some serious need of ideas. What should the meeting be about? Do you think I should end soon and make a sequel, or would you like this to go on for another 40 chapters? **


	39. Happy Late New Years!

A week has passed since Derek and I got tossed into the lake, and I haven't had any sniffles or coughs. I guess I'm okay, and I'd guess Derek is too. I haven't seen him coughing or sneezing lately. I smile to myself. He's such a ditz; he'll need me to keep him out of trouble.

There's a loud banging on my door, and I get up to see who it is, grumbling about their lack of manners. I open the door and am greeted by a chorus of:

"HAPPY NEW YEAR, NICO!"

I groan, brushing my hair away from my eyes. "It's New Years Eve, guys. And it's 11:30 at night. I don't know about you lot, but _I_ want to sleep."

Derek throws himself at me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and jumping onto my back. No matter what I do, I can't shake him. He's too childish, too strong and too hyped up on sugar to care that I'm trying to throw him off.

"But, Nico!" he whines. "We have to celebrate and watch the fireworks! And then we have to go watch _RENT_!"

I laugh, finally peeling his arms off and letting him fall onto the grass. He scrambles into a cross-legged sitting stance and looks at me with huge, hazel eyes.

"But—" He wipes away a 'tear.' "I thought you _cared_ about me!"

"I do!" I say. "But you've had too much sugar for me to hold a conversation with you."

"I know." He stands up and dusts off his pants. "I was only pretending, just to see your reaction."

"So you _can_ be mature!"

"Sure I can!" Derek gives me his best smile. I smile back. "But you have to watch the fireworks with us!"

My options are limited. I can either watch the fireworks with Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Grover and Derek… or I can sit in my cabin and mope. It's not like it should be a tough decision, but it is. I don't like admitting I'm wrong, and to watch the fireworks with them would be saying I was wrong about not wanting to be woken up.

"Fine," I growl. "But only this year."

It's actually, despite my protests, a lot of fun. Derek has way too much sugar and caffeine within five minutes of us reaching the beach, and he's running around like a lunatic. Sometimes I doubt that he's fourteen.

"Hey, Nico!" he calls. "Do you want a lollipop?"

"Mango?" I ask. He nods. "Why not?"

He tosses it to me and I put it in my back pocket. It's a bad idea. Percy has been known to steal candy from the back pockets of his friends. But… I don't think he steals anything that isn't blue, so I'm fine. Derek has his guitar with him, and he sits playing while the rest of us sing. After a while, he throws in a song just for me. The song is "One Song Glory."

We've all had too much sugar to stay on key, especially Thalia and Derek, so we just sing the notes closest to the _actual_ notes. Derek is exempt from this, keeping perfectly on the notes. I guess he's kind of immune to sugar by now. When it's over, we cheer and laugh at Percy for his vocal "abilities."

"You know," I say. "You really weren't kidding when I asked about your singing!"

"Shut up!" Percy chuckles, ruffling my hair. Then he gets and idea. "Are you ticklish?"

I shake my head. "No."

He doesn't believe me, and with good reason too. In an instant, I find myself giggling and trying to fight Percy off while screaming for someone to get him off of me. He's kind of like the annoying older brother I've never had. And part of me wishes that he _had_ been my older brother for my whole life, because then I'd only have lost one sibling. And I know that's terribly selfish of me, but I can't help it.

"Hey, Nico!" Derek calls. "Wake up! What's wrong today?"

He starts singing some song I don't recognize. It's got something to do with ghosts and wine and someone or other being agog and aghast… I mean, does _anyone _even know what the heck he's singing? It's got a nice melody, but for some reason, I can't focus on anything but the way his face lights up when he sings and the look of pure joy in his eyes.

"Hey, Nico." Thalia walks up to me. "Ca va?"

"Ca va bien, merci!" I reply. "Et toi?"

Derek and Percy exchange a look and then give us looks of their own. Thalia and I laugh and somehow deem it proper (by our sugar-hazed minds) to spin around like little kids, holding each other's hands and using weight balance to propel us closer and closer to the ocean.

"To the barricade!" shouts Derek. Percy echoes it, and the both of them run into the water. They start up a water fight and soon everyone has joined in. I can safely say that this is the best New Year of my miserable (though it's starting to look better) life!

**Can anyone guess what Derek was singing? What do you think? I'm not too happy with it, but I kind of need some ideas. Ideas, people! I'm going up to 40 chapters, and then I might do a sequel. Or you can vote on my next big fandom project. Here are the options. "Rise of the Guardians," or "Harry Potter..." "LotR" or "Avengers?" Shouldn't be too hard a choice… or should I do a sequel? I'm such a geeky, nerdy human being...**


	40. Curtain Closed

It's the day after New Years, and Derek and I are sitting in the grass with Percy, Annabeth and Grover. Derek is playing a love song on his guitar and singing with the voice of a thousand angels. I should know. My name "di Angelo" literally _means_ "of the angels (of death)." And my dad's house is in the Underworld. I think I should know what angelic music sounds like. Again, I can't really tell the whole of what he's singing, but I can catch: "_heart… of love… no fear… regret…_" And that's pretty much all I can discern. I'm lost.

"I am found…" His words seem to mirror my thoughts. I smile, looking into his hazel eyes. I feel a wave of dizziness, but I think it's just from too much sugar earlier. It lingers for a few minutes, and I feel increasingly ill, like I'm going to pass out. I guess I'm shaking a little, because Derek stops playing and looks at me with a worried expression.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks. I nod.

"Fine."

"We can go get some water or something to eat if you'd like…"

"No thanks, dude!" I say. "But thanks for worrying."

He nods, but he's already far off. I can tell by his eyes… the distant look in them. It'll haunt me to my grave, that's for sure.

"Are _you_ okay?" I ask. He shakes his head as if to clear it and looks up at me with a slightly dazed face.

"What? Yeah. I was just thinking…"

"What?"

"Well… It seems like nothing ever happened. You know what I mean?"

"No." I know _exactly_ what he means.

"I mean… um… We're still just friends and all, and that's great, but…" He glances awkwardly at Percy and Annabeth. They're staring into each other's eyes and he's trying to give her a blue Jelly Bean. Annabeth doesn't want it.

"Sorry," I mutter. "I'm just not good with… emotions. Especially not my own."

Derek laughs, getting up and strikes a pose. About five people stop and stare as he starts shouting in French.

"_J'taime, Nico di Angelo!"_

A few Aphrodite girls squeal and wave their hands around, blowing us kisses and shouting stuff like: "KISS NOW!"

Derek looks at me, a triumphant grin on his face. This is exactly what he wanted to happen. He _is_ a son of Hermes, and he knows precisely how to work a crowd. I guess I can't duck out of this one. The Aphrodite girls look at me expectantly. I get up with an exasperated groan and give Derek a small kiss on the mouth. He gives an impossibly wide smile and pulls me in for a hug. I give in and wrap my arms around him, and I'm swept off my feet. In a moment, I'm lying on the ground with Derek laughing at me. He's stronger than he looks. I guess it's all that tree climbing he does.

"You guys are soooo cute!" shouts Lacey, clasping her hands in front of her and bouncing up and down.

"Like, too cute for words!" chirps a brunette with dark grey eyes.

"Thanks!" Derek calls back. "We do our best!"

"Awwwwww!" is the chorus. I crack a smile, but the dizziness is back. I don't know what it is. It almost feels like someone put something in my tea this morning, or I'm coming down with something or other. I can feel the floor rocking slightly under my feet.

"I'm gonna head back to my cabin!" I say, moving away from the group. As I do, there's a sharp pain in my chest. I start to collapse.

"NICO!" Derek cries. Percy and Annabeth's voices join the mix as well as many others, some that I don't recognize.

Darkness surrounds me and I fall into the Underworld for what I know will be the last time.

**Okay, folks. This is it! Time for a sequel! Please REVIEW! **

**Cliffhanger! I'm so cruel! The sequel will be in Derek's point of view. REVIEWS, people, REVIEWS! Special thanks to Donakiko and Elayora for being faithful followers, as well as DionaEnvis and many others (Phoenix Autumn,)**

**EDIT: And the sequel is UP! It's called "Death's Friend." Hope you enjoy! Sorry to all of you people who don't like Derek/Nico. I'm doing my best to keep it all secondary to the actual plot... **


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